The Courtship of Mrs Jennifer Bennett
by BonniePride
Summary: The Sequel to "Melting Jack". When Jack leaves for the South, Jamie's mom, Mrs. Bennett, strikes up a late night conversation with North about her newly adopted son. What starts out as just coffee between friends soon starts to turn into something more. Will Mrs. Bennett be able to move past the loss of her first husband to find new love? (Ships: Mrs. Bennett x North, Jack x Tooth)
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! After a very, _very_ long break, I'm finally back with the sequel to _Melting Jack_! (If you haven't read the original, please go back and check it out before reading this—it isn't necessary, but it will help a lot of things in this story to make a lot more sense.) I don't have an excuse for keeping you guys waiting so long except (a) school, (b)another writing project taking up most of my spare time and attention, and (c) I don't like to post stories until I've actually finished writing them so that you're not left hanging. That aside, let me set the stage for this story: It's set right after Jack leaves in the second to last chapter of _Melting Jack_, and explains what happened in the interim between it and the last chapter, plus what happens afterwards. I hope you'll enjoy reading this story as much as I loved writing it :D Please don't judge the fact that I'm shipping Mrs. Bennett with North until you've actually read the story—it's meant to be completely sweet and innocent, so please just try to enjoy the fluffy adorableness (and whatever you do, don't flame!)

Sorry for the ridiculously long intro- I'll let you guys get to reading now (you've waited long enough!) So without further ado—_The Courtship of Mrs. Jennifer Bennett_!

0o0

Mrs. Bennett sat alone in the living room. Outside it was snowing softly, even though it was the middle of May. Upstairs the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and Sand Man were putting her kids to bed. She shook her head as she thought of how crazy, even insane, that sounded. A week ago she never would have believed that such a thing was possible. But a lot had changed in a week.

Only three days ago she had been preparing for the celebration of her youngest son, Jamie's, birthday and steeling herself for the three year anniversary of her husband and oldest son's deaths. Then, in the middle of Jamie's party, a young boy named Jack who had looked uncannily like her deceased son had dropped into her life and changed things forever. It turned out that Jack was actually one of the family's ancestors who had supposedly died in a frozen lake three centuries previous. But no, he had lived on as the spirit of ice and snow, Jack Frost, and as the family's unwitting guardian angel. Invisible to most as the frosty specter, he had become human again briefly due to overheating. He stayed only temporarily with the Bennett family while recovering, but in that time he had become an invaluable part of the family—so much so that Mrs. Bennett had come to look upon him as one of her own children. Only hours earlier had Jack regained his powers by falling into a frozen lake while saving Jamie. He had since headed for the southern hemisphere for the summer to prevent a repeat of his "meltdown" with promises to return when it was time for the weather to turn cool again. This was not, however, before introducing Mrs. Bennett to his other adoptive family, the Guardians of Childhood—a group made up of five mythical heroes who had sworn to protect the children of the Earth. That was why four of the most famous childhood figures of all time were currently tucking the two remaining Bennett children, Jamie and Sophie, into bed. Mrs. Bennett almost laughed at the thought of it. She had spent the past three years worrying about the safety of her children while she was away at the two jobs she had to work to support the family. Now, though, they had more protection than she ever dreamed she could offer them.

A noise from the front hall startled her thoughts back to the present. She shifted her eyes to gauge whether she or the children were in any immediate danger, and then relaxed as she caught sight of the red coated "intruder".

"Oh, it's you," she said with a relieved smile.

"Ah, good evening," the older gentleman greeted her with a tip of his black fur cap. "I apologize for the intrusion. I was just preparing to leave."

"It's not a problem," Mrs. Bennett reassured him. "After everything you've done this evening, I should be thanking you… I'm sorry, what was your name again? Or should I just call you Santa Claus?"

"North is fine. And as for this evening, it was no problem at all," the man hurried to reassure her. "Jamie and Sophie are such joys—radosti!"

Mrs. Bennett laughed at his enthusiasm, then got up from the couch. "Can I offer you anything before you go? Some coffee, perhaps?"

"I do not wish to put you to extra trouble," North started to protest, but Mrs. Bennett waved away his concerns.

"The coffee's already in the pot," she told him. She shivered slightly and pulled her sweater tighter around her thin shoulders before admitting, "Besides which, I could use the company. I don't exactly relish the idea of being alone after a night like tonight."

"Ah!" North's deep blue eyes lit up with understanding. "But of course. This is a service I will most gladly render to you."

Mrs. Bennett had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as they entered the kitchen. His overly formal tone amused her, but was somehow slightly endearing at the same time. "How do you like your coffee?" she asked, pulling two mugs out of the cupboard.

"Cream and sugar, please," North replied, taking the seat that she indicated at the table. "With a candy cane, if you happen to have one."

"Ah, you've discovered my weakness," Mrs. Bennett laughed, pulling a tin out from behind the toaster. "I love anything peppermint." She put her hands on her hips and turned towards him. "Are you sure that you haven't been in my kitchen before?"

North blushed slightly. "Well…there was one Christmas Eve. But I swear I did not go in without permission. Jacob invited me in—Oh, I am so sorry. I should not be bringing him up."

"It's alright," Mrs. Bennett told him with a strained smile. "It's actually nice to hear someone talk about him. It helps—helps keep him close."

"He was a very fine boy," North told her. "He had a good, strong heart. I still miss our Christmas Eve visits."

Mrs. Bennett nodded, not trusting herself to speak. It was nice to hear someone else remember her deceased son so fondly. Still, she knew that even though Jack had helped start her healing process, she wasn't fully ready to have an extended conversation about him yet.

"What can you tell me about Jack?" she asked, deciding to move to a safer topic as she prepared the coffee.

"What would you like to know?" North replied, looking slightly surprised by the question.

"Anything," Mrs. Bennett shrugged her shoulders. "You've known him longer than I have, so I thought maybe you could help me learn a little bit about my adoptive son."

"Ah." North's eyes twinkled as she put a mug in front of him. "Well, I can tell you that he is a very good boy. I will be honest, I have not known him for very long. For a century or two the Guardians did not even realize that he existed." He blew on the coffee to cool it as Mrs. Bennett sat down across from him. "When we finally did discover him, he did not exactly want our help. He had become so used to living on his own that he feared we would try to take away his freedom. I cannot say that he was wrong. We had become too—how you say?—stuck in our ways. We did not understand that in his carefree way he was guarding something very precious in the children—fun. But I could see even then just how lonely he was. Almost no one believed in him, and mythical beings must be believed in if they are to be seen. He was almost completely isolated, and with no memory of his past and no direction for his future, he was not in a good place."

"Wait." Mrs. Bennett raised a hand to stop him. "What do mean he had no memory of his past? When we talked earlier he didn't have any problem discussing his life story."

"Yes, he remembers it now," North agreed. "But for the better part of three centuries, he had no idea who he had been before the accident. He only regained those memories a short time ago with the help of Tooth."

"I see." Mrs. Bennett took a sip of her coffee. "Let me guess, this was during the battle with Pitch?" North looked slightly startled that she knew the name of the Guardian's fiercest enemy, so she explained, "Jamie told me the story about how you fought off the Boogeyman. I wasn't sure how much to believe—he has a bit of an overactive imagination."

"Well, what he told you will probably suffice," North told her, knowing that she might be better off not knowing all of the details. "And yes, it was. After finding out he had saved his younger sister, Jack was finally able to embrace his role as a Guardian."

Mrs. Bennett nodded, then got a slightly concerned look on her face. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble by taking him in. I didn't even know who he was at the time. If that kept him from taking care of whatever duties he has as a Guardian—"

"No, no, it was not a problem," North reassured her, taking her hand. "If anything, it was good experience for him. He has had too much pressure put on him lately. He needed a chance to rest. And honestly, he has never looked so happy the entire time I've known him as he did when he was here with all of you."

"I'm glad," Mrs. Bennett sighed. "Even though I've only known him for a short time, I truly do see him as one of my own children."

North nodded, looking pleased. "I can see that you have a very big heart. Even though you have experienced much pain, you still give love freely to those who need it. That is a wonderful quality."

Mrs. Bennett blushed at the unexpected compliment. "T-thank you," she stammered, looking down into her mug to avoid meeting his eyes. Then the tiny yawn that she'd been trying to hold in escaped her.

"Shostakovich! Goodness, what time is it?" North glanced over at the kitchen clock. "Forgive me, I did not mean to keep you this late. I often forget that most people actually need to sleep."

"It's fine," Mrs. Bennett told him, trying to hold back another yawn. "I was the one keeping you. I wish we had more time chat, but I can barely keep my eyes open and I know that you probably have places you need to be."

"Yes," North agreed. "But maybe we can continue this conversation later?"

"That would be wonderful." Mrs. Bennett gave him a tired smile.

"How is tomorrow for you?" North asked. "I promised to meet a friend in the morning, but perhaps we could meet in the afternoon?"

"How's four at the little coffee shop downtown?" Mrs. Bennett suggested. "They just opened a new one in the bookstore next to city hall."

"Excellent!" North looked pleased by the prospect and got up from the table with a customary bow. "A good evening to you, Mrs. Bennett."

"You don't have to be so formal with me," Mrs. Bennett responded with a half-smile. "You can just call me Jennifer."

North looked a little uncertain, but decided to comply with her wishes. "Good night, then…Jennifer."

"Good night to you too, North."

North gave her another tiny bow, then hurriedly exited through the back door. Mrs. Bennett stayed awake just long enough to hear the sound of Russian shouting and the pattering of reindeer hooves—reindeer hooves!—out in the street. Then, shaking her head, she fell asleep at the table.

0o0

So we have the initial meeting! I hope you guys are enjoying this so far—if not, trust me, it will get better. I'll be trying to update with about a chapter a week, with a total of about 14 chapters, so hopefully you guys will be able to hang in for the long haul and enjoy this fun little story. Please do leave feedback (virtual Christmas cookies to everyone who does!) I do read and greatly appreciate every one, and I almost always reply to comments. See y'all next week!


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello and welcome back everybody! I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed the first chapter, and I want to say thank you so much for the reviews. You guys are the best audience a fanfic writer could ask for! I hope that this next chapter will prove to be a fun installment for you guys. I know you want to see what happens next, so see you in the author's note at the bottom!_

"Oh, why did I ever agree to this?" Mrs. Bennett rushed around the house, trying to gather the scattered contents of her purse and get ready at the same time. She paused in front of the hall mirror, debating yet again her choice of the red and white sweater dress. But it was one of the few kid-free outfits that she had (meaning that it hadn't been marred by finger paint, melted candy, playdough, or one of the other thousands of sticky substances that children always have on hand) so she would have to go with it. She swept her chestnut hair back with a red hair tie, then applied a tiny bit of maroon color to her lips and a bit of blush to her cheeks. There, that would have to do. She snapped the lid back onto the lipstick, and then whirled around to face her two children.

"Uh, technically Mom, didn't you say that you invited North out for coffee?" Jamie piped up. "And besides, this is Santa Claus we're talking about. I don't think he's going to care too much about how you look."

"You're right, you're right," Mrs. Bennett agreed with an embarrassed laugh. "I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about this. It's just two friends meeting for coffee." Still, she turned back briefly to check her hair in the mirror one last time.

"Mama pretty!" Sophie chortled happily.

"Thank you sweetie," Mrs. Bennett said, picking her up and giving her a quick kiss. Then she looked back to Jamie. "All right, Charisa's going to be here any minute. I asked her to come over a little early today. Are you guys going to behave for her while I'm at work tonight?"

"Mo-om," Jamie protested. "Of course we will. I'm ten. I know better than to get myself in trouble."

"Of course you do." Mrs. Bennett set Sophie down and gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me today."

"Maybe it's Jack's leaving," Jamie suggested, looking briefly saddened.

"Could be," Mrs. Bennett hugged him even tighter. "We're all a little sad about that. "

The sudden ringing of the telephone made Mrs. Bennett jump up. She grabbed the receiver, wondering if North was calling. But no, he didn't have their telephone number she reminded herself. She tried to force her heartbeat to slow as she answered, "H-hello? Jennifer Bennett speaking."

She turned towards the door as she listened to the person on the other end. "Oh, hi Charisa…Yes, how are you?...What?...Oh, I see…No, no, I understand…Of course, if you're not feeling well you need to stay home…It's fine…No, I'm sure I'll be able to find someone else for tonight…Yes, thank you for calling me and letting me know…Feel better soon…Uh huh…Goodbye." Mrs. Bennett hung up with a sigh.

"What's going on?" Jamie asked, large brown eyes searching her face for clues.

"That was Charisa," Mrs. Bennett explained, pushing her bangs back off of her face. "She's got the chickenpox and can't babysit tonight."

"Then who's going to watch us?" Jamie pressed.

"Well, I'll probably be able to find someone, but it's going to take a while." She glanced up at the clock. It was already 3:45. "But there is no way I'll be able to make it to meet North at this point."

A knock from the door caused her to let out a groan of frustration. "What now?" she muttered as she hurried to open it. She was almost bowled over with shock to find a seven-foot tall rabbit standing there.

"G'day Missus Bennett," Bunnymund said, smiling. "I was wonderin' if the little ankle biters wanted to come out to play—y'know, to help soften Jack's leaving and all."

Mrs. Bennett was still trying to process through his initial greeting when Jamie suddenly called, "Hey Mom! Why can't Bunnymund babysit for us?"

Mrs. Bennett felt relief flood through her. "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Bunnymund, you wouldn't mind watching the children for a few hours, would you?"

"Well, uh…" Bunnymund looked slightly uncertain, as if scared by the prospect of having to take care of two kids all on his own. But Mrs. Bennett was halfway out the door before he could protest any further.

"You're a life saver! There's a list with bedtimes and instructions on the fridge, and there's a pan of mac and cheese in the freezer when you guys get hungry. Have a great time! Thanks again!"

"But…I…" Bunnymund watched helplessly as she hurried off down the street. Turning back to his two temporary wards, he saw Sophie obliviously chasing the family dog, Molly, around the living room, and Jamie watching his with a slightly bemused smirk, as if waiting to see what he would do next. He wondered what on Earth he'd gotten saddled with this. Sure, he'd delivered eggs to thousands of children, but if Sophie's one visit to the underground warren was any evidence he didn't know much about taking care of them. He needed someone who knew more than he did on the subject, but the other Guardians were otherwise occupied at the moment. Then an idea popped into his head—someone who was close by and hopefully had some sort of experience with kids.

"Can you two manage not to tear the house apart while I make a quick phone call?" the Aussie asked the still smiling little boy.

"I think we'll manage," Jamie replied, just a smidge sarcastically.

"I swear, that Frost's a terrible influence," Bunnymund muttered under his breath as he headed for the kitchen. He found what he needed rather quickly—the school directory— and then looked up the name of the feisty lass he'd met just the night before.

"Hullo, Dunbroch residence," a voice on the other end answered after three rings.

"Hey, Merida?" Bunnymund responded, his eyes darting out into the living room as he tried to keep an eye on the two kids. "It's me, Bunnymund. Do you happen to know anything about babysitting?"

0o0

Mrs. Bennett arrived in front of the bookstore, a little red faced from running in the cold, with two minutes to spare. She quickly tidied herself, using the glass windows as a mirror, before taking a deep breath and walking in. As she made her way back to the coffee shop, she tried to remind herself to stay calm and collected. This was just two friends meeting for coffee, after all. Nothing to be nervous, or even overly excited, about. Unfortunately for calm and collected, she tripped over a stack of thick volumes just outside the entrance to the tiny café and certainly would have fallen flat on her face if someone hadn't reached out just in time and caught her.

"North!" Mrs. Bennett gasped as the older man helped her right herself. "I'm so sorry. I mean thank you. I mean—"

"It is alright," North chuckled good-naturedly. "No harm done. I am forever tripping over things at the Pole—my boots, a forgotten project, the elves." Mrs. Bennett had to laugh at that. North looked pleased as he took her arm and escorted her to a table.

"It is very good to see you again Jennifer," he said once they'd placed their orders, not without a few curious glances from the barista in North's direction.

"It's good to see you again too," Mrs. Bennett replied, self-consciously tucking a few strands of hair back into her bun. "I'm sorry that I was running late. The babysitter had to cancel at last moment, so I was scrambling to find a replacement."

"Do not worry," North waved aside her worries. "I was running late myself. I invited Hiccup to come visit the Pole and we lost track of time."

"Hiccup? Do you mean Hiccup Haddock?" Mrs. Bennett asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes," North answered. "Do you know him?"

"I should say so," Mrs. Bennett replied. "He's one of my students. How do you know him?"

"We met yesterday," North explained as the waitress returned with their drinks. "Jack wanted to introduce us to his new friends."

"I see." Mrs. Bennett blew on her peppermint mocha, not sure how she felt about not knowing so many details about her son's life. Still, she guessed that these things would some with time, and at present she needed to focus on what North was saying.

"Such a good lad," he continued, taking a sip of his own sugar cookie latte. "But so lonely. I think he needs more time with his father, but the two are so distant that I fear he is not getting the proper male role model he needs."

Mrs. Bennett nodded. "I understand that feeling. I worry about Jamie all of the time. His father isn't here, and all of our family lives a long way away. I do what I can, but there are just some things he can't learn from me. To be honest, I was beginning to hope that Jack could take on some of those responsibilities, but not only is he too far away for now, that's also too much to ask of a young boy."

"Is true," North said with a thoughtful nod, "it is a lot to ask of Jack. But maybe there is someone else who could help."

"Really? If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears." Mrs. Bennett leaned forward with interest.

"How about me?" North responded.

"You?"

"Why not?" North grinned, obviously pleased with himself for having come up with the idea. "This time of year is very slow for me. I have nothing else to do but twiddle my thumbs, and I would love to spend some extra time with Jamie—if that is alright with you."

"That sounds wonderful!" Mrs. Bennett still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. North was actually offering to mentor her son? Was one of her most fervent prayers being answered? "Are you sure he wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"Not at all," North replied with a wide smile. "Perhaps he can come up to the Pole on Saturdays or Sundays for a few hours and help me around the workshop—he and Hiccup both."

"I certainly think that could be arranged," Mrs. Bennett told him. "Thank you so much for offering!"

"It will be my pleasure. I love being around children, and Jamie especially is a joy to spend time with."

Mrs. Bennett's next question came out before she could even think it though. "You seem like you'd be really good with kids. Have you ever been a father?"

"Ah…Sadly, no," North answered with a sigh that somehow sounded slightly sad. "I've spent most of my life taking care of little ones, but I've never been blessed with any of my own."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure that you'd make a great dad."

"Thank you."

The conversation trailed off, and Mrs. Bennett mentally kicked herself for bringing up such a sensitive subject. Why was she rambling so badly? Finally she thought to ask, "So, what exactly is it that you do at the North Pole?"

"Well, most of the year we spend preparing for Christmas," North started.

"Wait—we?" Mrs. Bennett cocked her head curiously. "Who is 'we'? Or wait, do you mean the elves?"

"Well, yes, there are some elves at the Pole," North agreed affably. Then he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "But to tell the truth, they do not really do much."

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Bennett gave him a bemused smile.

"Yes." North nodded, looking slightly amused himself. "The yetis do most of the actual work."

"Yetis? Now that's something I've never read about in any of my Christmas books," Mrs. Bennett laughed.

"They are actually very good workers," North told her. "They do most of the manual labor—putting the toys together, keeping the workshops clean, looking after the reindeer, and cooking the meals. That allows me to put my energies towards inventing new toys and ways to bring joy to children."

"That sounds wonderful," Mrs. Bennett sighed. "I've always dreamed about the North Pole ever since I was a little girl. It always seemed like it must be the most magical place on Earth."

"It is," North agreed. He fiddled a moment with his cap, and then said, although it sounded more like a question than a statement, "Maybe you could come up to visit sometime?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Bennett gasped, looking slightly surprised. "I-I don't know…I mean, surely, I'm too old to go anywhere where there's magic…"

"Nonsense!" North waved aside her concerns. "Come this Saturday with Jamie and Hiccup. Bring Sophie too."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Bennett felt herself blushing slightly.

"It would be my honor to have you visit my humble home," he reassured her, ever the gentleman. He took her hands in his, his blue eyes betraying his excitement. "You will come, yes?"

For a moment Mrs. Bennett hesitated, wondering if this was proper for her to be visiting the house of a man she'd just met. But it would be a good idea for her to see where her son was going to be spending his weekends. And besides, it was the North Pole. How much trouble could really happen there? "All right," she finally agreed. "Yes. I would love to come."

"Wonderful!" North cried, his entire face lighting up. "It will be a day you will never forget, I promise."

"I don't doubt that," Mrs. Bennett replied, feeling his infectious joy in spite of herself. Then she glanced at her watch and let out a disappointed sigh. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, but I have to get going. I'm supposed to be the hospital in half an hour, and it's going to take me a while to walk there on these icy roads."

"Let me give you a ride," North suggested as she collected her things. "I'd hate to think that you might get hurt trying to get there on your own."

"Oh no, I couldn't. You've already done so much…" Mrs. Bennett began to protest, but North was adamant.

"I will not let you risk your health if I there is something I can do to prevent it," North told her firmly, so she finally consented. They left payment on the table, and then walked out to the sleigh together. Mrs. Bennett tried to hide her excitement –after all, this was every child's dream, seeing Santa's sleigh- but she wanted to at least try to remain professional about all of this. But even she couldn't resist giving Comet a quick pet when North invited her to.

The ride to the hospital where she worked went much too quickly. Even though they stayed on the ground for the duration of the trip, it was still exhilarating to be pulled through the snow by a team of gigantic reindeer, the winter air blowing in their faces while a thick lap blanket kept them warm. Mrs. Bennett almost wanted to linger in the parking lot chatting to North just to extend the experience a little longer, but the beeping of ambulances reminded her that duty called.

"Thank you so much again," Mrs. Bennett said as North helped her out. "I had a lovely time."

"As did I," North smiled down at her. "I will look forward to seeing you on Saturday."

Mrs. Bennett nodded, then, not sure how to end the conversation, she offered him a quick wave before hurrying into the building. She slid into the seat at the receptionist desk just minutes before her shift was supposed to start.

"Well, looks like someone's been having a fun afternoon," Margie, one of the other receptionists, said with a wry grin as Mrs. Bennett tried to smooth down the wisps of hair that had come loose during the sleigh ride.

"Oh, nothing terribly special," she replied, trying to make her voice sound calm. "Just coffee with a friend."

"Must be a pretty special friend, Jennifer," Margie observed. "You're practically glowing." She leaned in. "So, who is he? Is he good looking? Where'd he take you?"

"Margie!" Mrs. Bennett protested with a laugh. "It's nothing like that! He's just a friend who's offered to mentor Jamie."

"Uh huh." Margie didn't look like she particularly believed her, but before she could say anything else the victims of a car accident were being wheeled in and they were busy for the rest of the afternoon. Still, despite her earlier protests, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but feel a warm glow all the way through her shift.

0o0

Mrs. Bennett returned home late that night from work, ready for bed. But what met her eyes as she stumbled into the living room and flicked on the light startled her wide awake. The floor was littered with toys and games of all sorts. Late night cartoons flickered on the old TV screen. On the couch a rather bedraggled looking Bunnymund had finally collapsed from exhaustion, little Sophie curled up in one of his arms. Jamie was sprawled across the old brown recliner, an old paperback serving as his pillow. A noise from the kitchen alerted her to another presence in the house, and a moment later a redhead appeared in the room, wiping her hands on a dishrag.

"Oh, good evenin' Missus Bennett!" the girl greeted her cheerfully." How was your day?"

"Merida?" Mrs. Bennett gasped, shocked to see one of her 7th grade students in her house under such strange circumstance. "What are you doing here?"

"Bunnymund called me," Merida replied, jerking her thumb towards the sleeping rabbit. "He didn't think he could handle watching two little 'uns on his own, and boy was he right." She laughed quietly. "He may know a thing or two about eggs and chocolate, but he knows nothing about taking care of children."

"Oh, I am sorry," Mrs. Bennett apologized, wondering at the same time how on Earth Merida knew the Easter Bunny but deciding to let it go for the moment. "I never imagined that he'd call you and put you to all this trouble—"

"T'weren't nothing," Merida replied with a grin. "I've got triplet little brothers at home, so this was easy in comparison." She looked around at the state of the room and cringed slightly. "Sorry it's such a mess. Bunnymund was going to help clean, but he collapsed as soon as the kids did, so I only had time to tidy up the kitchen."

"Merida, you are an angel," Mrs. Bennett said in disbelief, stepping forward and giving them a hug. "Most of the babysitters don't even do that, and that's when they know they're going to be coming over. Thank you so much for everything you've done."

"Um… you're welcome?" Merida, unused to hugs—especially from a teacher—quickly wormed her way out of the embrace. "I'd probably better be heading home."

"Of course," Mrs. Bennett agreed. She dug into her purse. "I –I can't pay you much, but take this." She offered Merida a few bills.

"Oh, you don't need to pay me." Merida waved her off. "I was glad to do it."

"Surely there's something I can do," Mrs. Bennett pressed her.

Merida cocked her head to one side, thinking. "Well…If you wouldn't mind moving the date out a little on the next English quiz…"

"Consider it done." Mrs. Bennett smiled down at her.

Just then, Bunnymund finally stirred back to life. "Wha-What happened?" he mumbled, sitting up and stretching.

"You fell asleep on the job," Merida told him, a little reproachfully.

"Oh cor, I am so sorry!" Bunnymund almost leaped up but fortunately noticed that Sophie was still asleep on his arm and set her down on the couch before standing. "Your little ankle biters are sweet kids, but they plumb wore me out."

"It's all right," Mrs. Bennett reassured him. "I have a hard enough keeping up with them myself."

But Merida wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "I stayed up and even cleaned the kitchen."

"I said I'm sorry. What else do you want me to do?"

Merida raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Give me a ride home."

"You can't be serious."

"You owe me. Or should I come up with something more on the humiliating side?"

"I'll wait for you in the hall," Bunnymund grumbled. He gave Mrs. Bennett a quick wave. "See you around, Missus B. Tell Sophie that I said goodbye."

Mrs. Bennett waved, and then watched as Merida gathered up her things. "Are you sure that you'll be okay getting home?" she asked the girl a little nervously. "I'd offer to drive you, but the car tends to stall out in cold weather."

"I'll be fine." Merida gave her a grin. "It may sound like Bunnymund and I hate each other, but I think that he's just an old softie who doesn't want to show his feelings." She headed for the door. "Have a good night. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Once the two had left and Mrs. Bennett had locked the door behind them, she headed back into the living room. For a moment she debated cleaning up the mess, but a wave of exhaustion overtook her. She ended up falling asleep on the couch next to Sophie where the sound of sleigh bells and reindeer hooves played in her dreams late into the night.

_Well, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I couldn't resist throwing poor Bunnymund for a loop there—who'd have thought he would have been such a terrible babysitter? Well, hopefully he'll get better with time __ And things are starting to heat up just a little bit between North and Mrs. Bennett! I wonder where this will lead (Well, I already know, but you guys will just have to be patient!)_

_That said, just a little foreshadowing and warning—please don't get your hopes up too much about there being a lot of activity at the Pole regarding Jamie's visits. There will be a few family visits over time, but since this fic is primarily about Mrs. Bennett, I didn't really spend a lot of time developing Jamie's relationship with North. Perhaps that can be the topic of a future fic, but I thought I'd just explain that so no one's disappointed later on. Also, to clear up things about the barista: No, I didn't forget about the "invisibility" rule for Guardians. She's apparently a believer, which is why she can see North and was a little bit suspicious about who he was. Sorry, just thought I'd get that red tape out of the way so you guys don't think I'm dropping the ball on plot points!_

_Moving on, I can't wait to hear what you guys think about this chapter! Merry Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate!) to everyone, and I hope you all have wonderful holidays! See you next week. :D_


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I hope all of you had awesome holidays! I'm back with the next chapter of "Melting Jack", and while I'm sorry to say that we aren't quite to the North Pole visit yet, this is a fun relationship-building chapter between Mrs. Bennett and some of the other story characters. I'll let you guys see what I mean by that when you read the chapter. ;) Enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom!

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The next day turned out to be a long one. Most of the students were barely awake after spending the previous day running around in the snow. After such a late night at work, even Mrs. Bennett struggled to keep her eyes open through her classes. She'd slept soundly the whole night, having vivid dreams about various mythical creatures like fairies and dragons, but it had taken Jamie actually coming to wake her up to get her out of bed. During fourth period English she finally succumbed to exhaustion and put on a video of _A Midsummer's Night Dream_ for the students. She had almost drifted off at her desk when a sudden noise startled her. She glanced around, trying to discern the source, but most of the students were in various stages of semi-consciousness, so she didn't think any of them had caused it. For a moment she wondered if she'd imagined it and was beginning to nod back off when she heard the noise again. This time she was sure that she'd heard it, as one of the students—Hiccup, to be specific—jumped at the sound too. He looked down at his backpack, and then slid his hand into his desk and started to surreptitiously pull something out.

"A cell phone?" she wondered, but that didn't seem like Hiccup. Usually he was one of her best behaved students and never, ever texted in class. So what was he up to? She watched as he lowered the object into his bag, and the noises she'd been hearing ceased. He let out a tiny sigh of relief. But then something small and black suddenly poked its head out of the opening and skittered out onto the floor. Hiccup went through a silent spasm of panic, clearly torn between chasing it as it moved towards the front of the classroom and not disturbing the rest of the students. Mrs. Bennett watched as it headed towards her and, as soon as it was within reaching distance, she picked it up, trying to figure out what it was. For a moment she wondered if it was one of Hiccup's mechanical creations. But no, when the tiny creature yawned, revealing two rows of sharp teeth and a small flame smoldering in the back of its throat, she knew for sure that what she was holding was a real dragon.

She glanced over towards Hiccup, who was raking his hands through his hair. Giving him a raised-eyebrow look, she pointed down, and then put the miniature mythical creature into an empty desk drawer. She closed it, and then, thinking better of it, she pulled it back open a crack so that the dragon could still breathe. Looking back up, she saw that Hiccup was staring at her in disbelief.

"How?" he mouthed, looking like he couldn't believe what he'd just seen.

Mrs. Bennett just shook her head and pointed to the screen. Her message was clear: "Watch the movie." By this point, she was too wide awake to fall back asleep. Her mind was racing for the explanation as to how to Hiccup had gotten his hands on a real dragon. Then she vaguely remembered North saying something about taking Hiccup to the Pole because he was a friend of Jack's. Thinking back to the previous night and her shock at finding out that Merida knew Bunnymund, she began to wonder if the spunky redhead had been introduced in the same way. Just how many people's lives had Jack touched in his short stint as a human? She resolved to keep Hiccup and Merida after class to find out just how much they knew. Just before the bell rang, she added Rapunzel to that list when she noticed the tiny fairy nestled in the girl's hair.

As soon as the lights were flipped on, signaling the end of class, she called all three of them to the front. She waited until the other students had trickled out before addressing them.

"I believe this is yours," she said, holding the dragon out to Hiccup.

"Mrs. Bennett, I am so sorry!" he apologized. "I know it's against school policy to bring pets to school, but I couldn't leave Toothless at home. You have no idea how much of a mess can be made by a baby—well, you know."

"Dragon?" Mrs. Bennett gave him a half-smile. "Well, I technically should give you detention for this…" The boy cringed slightly. "But, seeing as how dragons aren't supposed to exist, I'm not sure they really fall under the category of 'pets'. So as long as you promise to keep it under control, I don't see any reason for saying anything to the principal."

"Thank you," Hiccup sighed. Then he asked, a little nervously, "But, I have to ask—how come you can see him when no one else can?"

"I think I can answer that," Merida spoke up. She turned to Mrs. Bennett. "It's because of Jack, isn't it? He told you about everything."

"That's right," Mrs. Bennett agreed with a nod. "Albeit, he didn't mention dragons, but after everything I've seen over the past couple of days I'm open to the existence of pretty much anything mythical. What I'm still trying to figure out is how the three of you got mixed up with him in the first place. I mean, Hiccup, North told me about your going to the Pole with him. And Merida, I saw you with Bunnymund at my house last night. Rapunzel, I don't know for sure how you're involved, but based on the fairy nesting in your hair, I'm guessing that you're wrapped up in this too."

The three students shared a smile. "Oh, that," Merida laughed. "We met him two days ago. I saved him from being pummeled by a bully during lunch and invited him to the library to meet Hiccup and Rapunzel."

"We didn't know who he was at first," Hiccup continued, stroking the dragon's back. "But he started telling us about the Guardians and, before we knew it, he was accidentally spilling his entire story to us."

"He ran off to talk to you about something," Rapunzel said, picking up where he left off. "But then that night he came to tell us that he'd gotten his powers back, and he introduced us to the rest of the Guardians."

"I see." Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Jack to befriend three of her students who most needed a friend and, more importantly, something to believe in.

"So where is Jack, if I may ask?" Merida spoke up after a moment of silence. "I know he must have created that blizzard yesterday, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of him since two nights ago."

"He didn't tell you?" Mrs. Bennett asked, looking among them.

They all shook their heads "no".

"Well, I guess he must have had his mind occupied with worries about how to tell all of this to me." She tried to summon up a smile for their sakes. "Jack had to head south for the summer. Being in the heat is what caused him to melt down in the first place. He needed to head somewhere where he would be safe."

All three of the students looked saddened by the news, but they understood why their friend had had to leave.

"He is coming back, right?" Rapunzel piped up.

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Bennett reassured her. "He's promised to return as soon as it's time for winter to come back to the Northern hemisphere—perhaps a little earlier." She smiled wryly, knowing that Jack's impatience was likely to get the better of him. "And he's also supposed to be sending letters, so I'll pass on whatever news I get to you." She glanced towards the door. Any minute now, students from her next class would be arriving. "I should probably let you get going. Here." She quickly scribbled out three hall passes. "In case you're a little late."

"Thank Missus Bennett!" Merida scooped up the pieces of paper. "C'mon you lot, we've got to get to science before we miss any of Mr. Tex's 'thrilling' lecture." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Thanks." Hiccup nodded to Mrs. Bennett, and then followed Merida out the door.

"It was lovely talking to you." Rapunzel gave Mrs. Bennett a tiny smile.

"Likewise." Mrs. Bennett waved as they left, and then, with a satisfied sigh, got up to restart the film for the incoming class. As she did so, though, a knocking sound came from the window next to her desk. She was startled to see what at first she took to be a giant bird, but quickly realized was the Tooth Fairy. Glancing back to see that none of the students had arrived yet, she hurried over to the window and opened it.

"Hi Mrs. Bennett!" Tooth greeted her cheerfully. She produced an envelope from a hidden pocket near her waist. "Jack wanted me to deliver this to you."

"Well, thank you." Mrs. Bennett shook her head just the tiniest bit as she took the letter. How much her world had changed in four short days. Before then, she hadn't even really believed in fairies. Now she was accepting mail that was written by the spirit of ice and snow from one. Still, she tried her best to remember her manners, despite the bizarreness of the situation. "Won't you come in?" she offered.

"Oh, I really shouldn't." Tooth looked slightly nervous. "I have so much work to do—"

"Please," Mrs. Bennett implored. "I'd like to be able to send a reply back to Jack with you. If you could just spare about forty minutes for my next class to end, I could have one written and ready to be delivered."

"Well… All right," Tooth finally consented. "I'm sure my fairies can handle on their own, at least for a little while."

"Thank you so much." Mrs. Bennett smiled as the fairy flitted in and took a seat near the back of the class, perching timidly on a desk, as if she was unused to being in a classroom setting and was nervous about it. Mrs. Bennett closed the window just as the first students finally came stumbling in.

Once the movie was started, Mrs. Bennett took up the letter and, her hands shaking with excitement, carefully tore open the envelope. Inside was a sheet of white parchment with a few traces of tell-tale frost still on it. In blue ink Jack had spilled out the following words:

_Dear Mom,_

_ How are you? I hope all of you enjoyed the snow day. There's certainly a lot of snow down South now. I brought an early snow storm to Rio de Janeiro (probably the only one I'll get to make since they're not supposed to have much wintery precipitation.) It was beautiful. You should see this place at night when everything is lit up—it's absolutely breathtaking. I paid my respects to the Christ the Redeemer statue-I had the added bonus of getting to see it from the air, a view that few ever get. Then I brought a light frost all across South America. I can't bring too much winter weather yet, but just you wait. Later on in the season is when I get to have my real fun. There are plenty of snowball fights and sledding adventures ahead, I'm sure. I wanted to write to you now since Tooth was available to send the letter and I knew that you'd be wanting to hear from me. Try not to worry about me too much- I've been doing this for three centuries, after all. You've just given me an added incentive to come back North as soon as possible. Give a hug to Jamie and Sophie from me, and, if you see them, tell Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel "hello" for me too (I think you have them in one of your classes. I guess I forgot to tell you, but I made friends with them that one day at school!) I love you. Hope to hear from you soon!_

_ -Jack_

Mrs. Bennett smiled as she read the letter. It was almost like having Jack back with her, if just for a moment. She slipped it back into its envelope and then put it into her purse to read to Jamie and Sophie later. Before beginning her own return letter, she looked back at Tooth to see how the fairy was doing. Tooth seemed absolutely engrossed in the movie, so she didn't feel so bad taking her time writing her reply to Jack. She briefly told him about Jamie and Sophie's snow day escapades, including having Bunnymund and Merida as babysitters. Then she told him about her after-class discussion with Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel so that he'd know that she already knew about his friends. For a moment, she debated putting in something about going for coffee with North, but for some reason felt like she should leave that part out. It wasn't that important, she reasoned, so she just signed it with lots of love from Jamie, Sophie, and herself. She also, when rifling through her drawer for an envelope, found a long forgotten Polaroid she'd brought to school for a lesson earlier on in the semester that she thought Jack might like to have to chronicle his journeys.

As soon as the bell rang and the students had left the room, Mrs. Bennett approached Tooth with the note and the camera. The fairy seemed to still be getting her bearings a little bit after watching the film.

"I'll take it you enjoyed the movie," Mrs. Bennett observed with a smile.

"Oh, I did," Tooth readily agreed. "I've never seen anything like it before! I mean, I'm around my fairies all the time, but none of them are anything like those characters. Who came up with the story?"

"It's a play by William Shakespeare," Mrs. Bennett told her. Seeing how excited the fairy had become over a subject that was very dear to her own heart, she offered, "There's only a little bit left. Since it's lunch break, I don't have another class for a while, so if you'd like we could actually finish the film."

"Oh, could we?" Tooth's feathers fluffed out in excitement.

"Of course." Mrs. Bennett laughed and slid into the desk next to her. The shared Mrs. Bennett's lunch while finishing the movie. Afterwards they discussed the story, Tooth all too eager to hear Mrs. Bennett's insight. Eventually, the discussion turned to other subjects—the joys and pains of working with children, what Tooth's job was like working as the Tooth Fairy, and, inevitably, to Jack.

"How did you and Jack meet?" Mrs. Bennett asked curiously, crunching into an apple slice.

"Oh!" Tooth's face took on a pinkish tint. "Well, we'd crossed paths briefly a few times over the centuries—in our line of work, it's hard not to. But we didn't officially meet until a few months ago, back when we had the skirmish with Pitch."

"I see," Mrs. Bennett said, not missing the fairy's blush and the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about Jack. "And since then? Are you two pretty close?"

"I'd like to think so," Tooth replied, nervously smoothing back some of the feathers on her headdress. "We've spent a lot of time together recently, especially now that we actually know each other. I think he sees me as a sister, or a really close friend."

"But you'd like to be more," Mrs. Bennett stated, more of a fact than a question.

"Yes," Tooth admitted, blushing even brighter pink. "I think I've like him since the first time I laid eyes on him. I was on a late night run in Alaska, getting a back left molar from an eight-year-old boy. I saw someone out on a frozen lake, and I stopped to see if they were in any danger. But no, it was Jack. He was making the most beautiful images out of the frost on the ice. It was almost like he was bringing them to life." Tooth laughed a little self-consciously. "I'm sorry. I know all of this probably sounds silly."

"No, it doesn't," Mrs. Bennett reassure her. She took one of her hands in her own. "I can see that you really care about him. And if the looks I saw him giving you back in the house two nights ago were any indication, I think he may feel the same about you."

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Tooth still looked a little embarrassed, but she couldn't help but brighten at Mrs. Bennett's words.

"Take it from his mother. Just keep at it and I'm sure he'll come around in time," Mrs. Bennett told her.

Tooth nodded, and then started as the bell rang. "Oh dear, I really should get going! I've got to deliver your letter and the present to Jack, and then I've have to get back to collecting teeth."

"Of course." Mrs. Bennett nodded. She followed Tooth over to the window and opened it for her.

"Thank you so much for lunch and the movie," Tooth said as she flitted outside.

"It was my pleasure," Mrs. Bennett replied. She couldn't resist giving Tooth a quick hug before she left. "Don't be a stranger—come by any time. And don't forget," She looked Tooth in the eyes, "you've always got a family here."

"Thank you!" Tooth gave one last wave goodbye before heading south, Mrs. Bennett's words warming her well into the Jack Frost-induced chill.

0o0

I hope y'all had fun with this chapter! I couldn't resist bringing Jack's new friends into the mix **(Koko-chan**, I hope this answers your question about Toothless .) And I really couldn't resist letting Mrs. Bennett and Tooth having a little girl time (bonding over Shakespeare of all things!) What can I say? They're both adorable! And poor Jack doesn't really have a chance now that his mom's going to be working to get him together with Tooth… Thank goodness he and Tooth are such a cute couple!

Well, see you same Bat time, same Bat channel next week with chapter four and the visit to the North Pole. I'm giving out brownies to all of my reviewers this week!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm so, so sorry that I'm late getting this out! I totally lost track of time and forgot to get this chapter typed up. But here it is now, and I hope that you enjoy it. We're finally going to the Pole *squee!* and things are about to get interesting

0o0

Saturday dawned bright and sunny. It was the perfect day for an outing—even if that outing was to the North Pole. "Jamie, do you have your coat?" Mrs. Bennett called as she buttoned Sophie into her light pink parka.

"Yes Mom!" Jamie replied, tumbling down the stairs decked out in all of his winter gear. The neighbors who happened to be awake at that early hour might think they were crazy, Mrs. Bennett thought, but at least they'd be prepared for whatever weather they might encounter up at the very top of the globe. She set to work fastening her own camel colored peat coat and wrapping a long white scarf around her neck. For some reason she had the jittery sense like she was forgetting something that always seemed to come upon her whenever she was getting ready to see North. She preferred not to think what this feeling might mean—it was better to let some things lie.

The doorbell ringing sent her into another flutter of panic. Molly raced to the door, barking happily, and Jamie raced to answer it. "North!" he cried happily as the older man came into view.

"Ah, good morning Jamie," North greeted him, as cheerful as ever. "Are you all ready for our adventure?"

"Yes!" Jamie responded enthusiastically.

"Just about," Mrs. Bennett called as she wrestled Sophie's little boots onto her feet. They were a little snug, but they would have to do for now since the clothes budget didn't allow for new boots until fall.

"You both look beautiful," North told them with a smile as they made their way into the hall.

Mrs. Bennett felt herself blushing. "Sophie, what do you say?" she asked the little girl, trying to divert attention from herself.

"Dank you!" Sophie replied with a toothy grin.

"You are most welcome." North reached down and swung her up onto his shoulder, much to the little girl's delight. "Are we all ready to go?"

"I think so," Mrs. Bennett answered, smiling to mask the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. It was probably just the excitement of going to the North Pole, she thought. After all, it wasn't every day you got to go visit a magical toy workshop. It was like a Christmas dream come true, only in the summer

North had taken the precaution of parking the sleigh in the alleyway behind the house to hide it from any prying neighbors' eyes. Hiccup was already sitting in the back with Toothless. North told Jamie that he could sit in with the other boy, inviting Mrs. Bennett to sit next to himself with Sophie in the front. She did so, fussing with Sophie's coat to try to quell the anxious and excited feeling threatening to burble over in her chest.

"All right, here we go!" North announced. He called to the reindeer and moments later they were racing down the street. There was a heart stopping moment as they left the ground and the world fell away beneath them. But that was soon replaced by the thrill of flying—actually flying!—through the air, being held aloft by nothing but the magical reindeer ahead of them. Mrs. Bennett laughed aloud in spite of herself.

"You like the flying then?" North asked, glancing sideways at her as he guided the reindeer northward.

"It's wonderful," Mrs. Bennett breathed. Words couldn't begin to describe what she was feeling.

"This is awesome!" Jamie whooped from the back. Hiccup, who was by now somewhat of a veteran flyer, didn't say anything, but even he smiled as he watched the Earth passing beneath them. Sophie seemed to be enjoying the ride for the most part. To Mrs. Bennett's surprise, the little girl actually clung to North the entire way, something which he didn't seem to mind in the least.

After a good hour or so of flying (North having decided to take them the scenic route instead of just using one of his magical portals), they came in for a slow descent. Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but gasp as she caught her first sight of the North Pole. Expertly built by North and the yetis, it shone like a jewel peeking out of the snow in the early morning sunlight.

As soon as the sleigh came to a complete stop in the reindeer barn, Jamie leaped out, eager to explore. Hiccup was right behind him with Toothless, and even Sophie squirmed her way out of Mrs. Bennett's grasp and onto the floor. The three youths plus dragon took off together, to Mrs. Bennett's initial consternation, but North was quick to assuage her fears.

"Do not worry. This is about the safest place in the world for children," he reassured her. "There is nothing here that can harm them. Besides, the yetis will look after them to make sure that they stay out of trouble." He got down out of the sleigh and, as before, offered her his arm. "Shall we go?"

"Go where?" Mrs. Bennett asked as he helped her down.

"Why, the workshop," he replied. "How would you like a tour?"

Mrs. Bennett hesitated for a moment, some unknown force giving her pause. But then she finally assented. "All right. Why not?" She tried to sound more confident than she felt. What, after all, was the harm in a tour?

North showed her all around the Pole. He showed the warehouses where they kept the supplies for making toys and stock piled the completed ones for the upcoming Christmas. He led her through the main workshop where yetis were hard at work assembling toys. They made a quick pit stop in the kitchen, where the chefs were already preparing lunch for the little party. Then Mrs. Bennett was shown the main hall where she was fascinated by the globe covered in lights which represented all of the believing children in the world.

"So every light is a child who believes in magic?" she asked, moving closer to see it better.

"Yes," North agreed, his white beard puffing out with pride. "Every single one. And as long as they keep shining, the Guardians will be there to protect them."

"Jamie told me about a time a few months ago when almost all of them went out." Mrs. Bennett glanced over at him. "Is that true?"

"Sadly, yes," North said. "Our age-old foe, Pitch Black—the Boogeyman, you may know him better as—tried to snuff out all belief in us. He wanted a world ruled by darkness and fear. But thanks to Jamie and Jack, we were able to put his plans to an end, and now belief is stronger than ever."

"What exactly did Jamie do?" Mrs. Bennett asked curiously. "He told me about how all of you fought off Pitch, but I wasn't quite clear on his part in it."

"Ah, Jamie had the most important part!" North replied with a sparkle in his eyes. "He kept believing in us when no one else did. Even more than that, he believed in Jack—something which no child had done in a very long time. Because of his strong belief, he was able to get his friends to start believing in us again and that gave us the strength to fight Pitch back into the shadows where he belongs."

"Wow." Mrs. Bennett gazed up at the globe in wonder.

"You have a very special boy," North told her. "All of your children, in fact, are amazing. As are you yourself."

"What's so special about me?" Mrs. Bennett queried with a raised eyebrow.

"You belief," North replied. "Most adults cannot see the Guardians because they no longer have faith in us."

"Well, it wasn't until Jack told me about you that I actually started believing again," Mrs. Bennett protested.

"Ah, but you see, you took it by faith that he was telling the truth," North responded, sounding very passionate about what he was saying. "Most adults would have laughed at him or said that he was crazy. But no, you believed him just by the words that he said." He added after a moment, "I can see where Jamie gets his strong faith from."

Mrs. Bennett blushed and stammered out some sort of thank you. Fortunately, North didn't pursue the topic and instead led her into the North Pole library. After a wonderful lunch (the yetis were very talented cooks) for which the children joined them, North left the kids in the kitchen helping taste test a new cocoa that one of the yetis was trying to perfect. This was so that he could show Mrs. Bennett one of the most magical places at the Pole: his own private workshop. It was small and quaint, but it was where he came up with most of his ideas for new toys. Two chairs had been pulled up in front of a roaring fire, and North motioned for Mrs. Bennett to sit in one as he began showing her some of his latest projects. Eventually two of the elves came in bearing a plate of cookies (which were almost lost for a moment, but North managed to catch it the them before the fell to the ground), and over the snack he and Mrs. Bennett talked about anything and everything that came to mind.

At length North grew quiet and got up to start pacing around the room. He would begin to say something, but then stop, try to say something else, and again fall silent. Finally he came to a halt in front of the fireplace and, seeming to finally have gathered up enough courage to speak his mind. "Mrs. Bennett—no, wait Jennifer—or no, am I being to forward?" he started, still stumbling over his words.

"Jennifer is fine," Mrs. Bennett replied, wondering what it was that he had to say.

"Jennifer," he began again, clasping his hands nervously behind his back, "ever since I met you, I have known that there was something very special about you. The way that we have connected over such a short time was a surprise even to may. The way I feel when I am with you—I have never felt with anyone else before. And I have never felt about anyone else the way that I do about you."

"North, what are you trying to say?" Mrs. Bennett asked, folding her hands in her lap and sitting up a little straighter in her chair.

"Jennifer, what I am trying to ask you is—" he finally got up the gumption to meet her gaze, "—would you consider letting me court you?"

"What?" Mrs. Bennett gasped.

"I am not asking for an immediate reply," North hurried to say. "Take as much time as you need to think it over. I know that you have many things to consider—Jamie and Sophie, for starters. But all I am asking is that you will at least think about it."

Mrs. Bennett felt as if she were on a carnival ride that she desperately wanted to get off. One part of her was flattered, if not actually overjoyed, that he had asked her. But yet another part of her, the practical side, was seeping all the possible problems through her head—what Jamie and Sophie would say to her starting to see someone; trying to find time for a relationship between parenting and work when there already weren't enough hours in the day; and what this might mean long term for all of them. Then, of course, coming back like an almost forgotten injury that had suddenly been reopened, were thoughts of her deceased husband. Would it be disloyal to his memory if she started dating someone? Or was it time to finally let go of the past? There were too many questions without enough answers. Finally, all she could reply was, "I-I will have to think about this."

"But of course." North nodded, half bowing, as if he had anticipated this response. "As I said, there is no rush. Take as much time as you need."

The rest of the visit to the Pole was pleasant, but something of the initial joy and excitement had gone out of it. Even though he maintained his perfect cheerfulness, Mrs. Bennett could only guess that North was somewhat disappointed by her lackluster response. She herself was at war. Had she been too cold? Had she been not cold enough? What was the proper response? Ultimately she knew that she was going to have to give North an answer. She couldn't pretend that he'd never asked her. Part of her wanted very much to say yes, and another part wasn't sure that she or the kids were ready for this. She needed time to think things through, so as soon as they returned home she shut herself in her room to have some much needed alone time.

0o0

Oh my goodness, talk about craziness! North finally asked Mrs. Bennett out *yay!* but now poor Jennifer is experiencing major conflict. What is she going to do? Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens (Sorry, I know, first I post late and now I leave you with a cliffhanger! How evil am I?) Please review and let me know where you think things are headed for the twosome! See y'all next time


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! Sorry about leaving you with the cliffhanger last week, but hopefully this will make up for it! We were left wondering what Mrs. Bennett was going to say to North's question—well, let's find out!

0o0

As much as Mrs. Bennett wanted to sit down and think things through rationally, her thoughts were too jumbled to reason through them clearly. She thought of her father, who had been a minister in Washington state when she was growing up, and what he would tell her to do. He would have told her to pray about it. So she kneeled down next to her bed and tried to form a coherent prayer, but the words wouldn't come either. After about ten minutes of restlessly trying to do things the "right" way, she finally gave up and just slumped against the wall. "Lord," she finally had the strength to pray, "I don't know what to do. I've got all these emotions, and I can't understand all of them. So do You think You could help me sort them out—Father to daughter?" She waited for some spiritual feeling or a clap of thunder that told her exactly what she was supposed to do. Nothing.

Just as she was about to give up on this whole endeavor, the phone started ringing. For a moment she was too scared to pick it up, but then Jamie called from downstairs, "Mom, it's Aunt Carol!"

In an instant Mrs. Bennett had the receiver in her hand. "Hello, Carol?" she said once she was sure that Jamie had hung up on the other end, trying to sound as cheerful as possible under the circumstances.

"Jennifer, hello!" came the response from the other end. The voice was the voice of pure comfort. The wife of her brother Fredrick, Carol, was a counselor by profession and she always had time for her sister in law. "I just wanted to call and check in on you. Fredrick told me all about the addition to your family! I'm so sorry, I've been meaning to call you, but life just kept throwing things in my way where I had to put if off until now. You know how it is."

"Do I ever," Mrs. Bennett replied under her breath.

Carol must have picked up on the tone in her voice because she instantly went into counseling mode. "Jennifer, is something wrong? Does it have to do with Jack?"

"No, no, Jack's fine," Mrs. Bennett answered, hoping that that was true at the moment.

"Are you sure?" Carol pressed gently. "Because I know that sometimes things can be rough transitioning a new member into the family. Is he getting along okay with Jamie and Sophie?"

"Oh, Jamie and Sophie love him. And he loves them. He's a wonderful big brother."

"Well, how are things between you and Jack?"

"Honestly? I don't think I could love him more if he were my biological son."

"Mm-hm." Mrs. Bennett could detect a note of something slightly questioning in Carol's tone. "You know, Fredrick mentioned how much Jack looked like—well, like Jacob. Is his presence bringing up any difficult memories?"

"Well, there was a short time of that, but if anything Jack's being here helped me come to terms with Jacob's passing."

"Oh Jennifer, I'm so glad for you." Mrs. Bennett could tell that she truly was. "I know how much you've struggled with that over the past couple of years."

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett agreed slowly, trying to keep herself calm and collected. "But now—now something's come up that's making me deal with Daniel all over again." Carol remained silent as Mrs. Bennett said the name of her deceased husband. She knew that what Jennifer needed was an outlet to express her feelings, and out they came. It was like opening the floodgates as the whole story came tumbling out. "When Jack came, I thought I had finally started healing from the loss of Jacob and Daniel. But then I met someone. It started out as just a friendship—going out for coffee and talking about the kids. And then he offered to start mentoring Jamie, which is amazing, only he invited us over to his home so I could see where Jamie is going to be spending his time. He gave me a tour and he was being so sweet and nice. But then he asked me—he asked if he could have my permission to court me!" Mrs. Bennett broke down crying at this point, and Carol let her for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Bennett finally sniffed, although her nose was so runny that her words were muddled together.

"It's perfectly all right," Carol told her. "Crying is one of the therapeutic things a body can do," she was often known to say. "You just tell me when you're ready."

"I think I am," Mrs. Bennett finally said.

"Good. Then I'm going to ask you a few questions, all right dear?"

"Mm-hm."

"First of all—is he a good man?'

"Oh yes, very!"

"Has he treated you well thus far?"

"He's a perfect gentleman. If anything, too perfect."

"Then do you think he's being false with you?"

"Oh no, not at all. It's just the way he is."

"All right, so you said that he offered to mentor Jamie. How is he with the children?"

"Oh, he's wonderful. He is absolutely amazing with them."

"And how do Jamie and Sophie like him?"

"They love him."

"And you? Do you like him?"

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me," Carol laughed. "Be honest—do you like his personality?"

"Yes…"

"His appearance? His voice? The way he looks at you?"

"Isn't this getting a little personal?" Mrs. Bennett protested.

"It's a relationship, sweetie. Of course it's personal. Come on, you know there can't be a good relationship without some sort of attraction, so be honest with me."

"Well… He has really deep blue eyes that light up whenever he gets excited."

"Mm-hm."

"And he has a Russian accent, but it's actually very charming."

"Go on."

"And when he looks at me, I guess I feel-safe. And like I'm someone special. It's…what I haven't felt since Daniel passed."

"Well, there you have it."

"There I have what?"

"Jennifer, honey, from everything you've just told me, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be with him. He likes you. Obviously he's got some good standards if he actually asked permission to court you. He likes the kids. The kids like him. You like him. What's holding you back?"

"I guess—I've let Daniel go, but somehow I still feel like I'm dishonoring his memory."

Carol let out a low sigh. "Sweetheart, that is something that almost everyone in your situation struggles with. I can't tell you what to do, but Jenny, let me tell you something: you will always love Daniel, and he will always be in your heart. But he would want you to be happy. If you had passed on, would you have wanted him to feel like he couldn't ever see anyone else?"

"No, of course not! I'd want him to be happy!"

"Then honey, take what you know to be true and let yourself be happy. You have such a loving heart. Don't keep all of the love bottled up inside because you're scared to let yourself be open again."

Mrs. Bennett let out a long sigh and leaned her head back against the wall. "What would you do, if you were me?"

"Honestly? I'd chase him down and then never let him go."

"It's almost sounds like you've got experience with that."

"How do you think I got your brother?"

Mrs. Bennett laughed. If felt good to laugh after such a serious conversation, and as she did, she realized suddenly that she felt at peace about the decision that she had to make. God had answered her prayer after all, just in a different way than she'd expected.

"Oh Jenny, I know you're going to make the right choice," Carol told her lovingly.

"Yeah, I think I am too."

"Okay, well tell me how it goes—the good, the bad, and the ugly. And don't forget that I'm here whenever you need me."

"Thanks Carol."

"Anytime, Jenny."

They hung up, and Mrs. Bennett stayed where she was for a few more minutes, wanting to make sure that her sense of peace about things didn't change. It didn't, so she got up and headed for the door.

Downstairs, Jamie looked up at her in surprise from his spot on the living room floor near Sophie. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Mrs. Bennett realized that she wasn't sure exactly how to get in contact with North, or even where to start looking for him. But she had the determined feeling that this was something that she needed to do now, before she lost her courage. "I'm just going out for a bit," she told Jamie, heading into the front hall. "You're in charge while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay…" Jamie replied, a little uncertainly. His mom wasn't usually one for doing things spontaneously, and she didn't seem to have a particular plan as she tossed things helter-skelter into her bag. Fortunately for both of them, she never had to make the journey. Standing right there as she opened the door was exactly who she was looking for.

"North!" she cried, somewhat taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

"I had the feeling that you wanted to see me," he responded.

"Well, yes, I did," Mrs. Bennett answered honestly.

"It is about what I asked you earlier, yes?" he asked, his blue eyes nervously searching hers.

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett agreed.

"Maybe we should go into the kitchen—for privacy?" North suggested, and Mrs. Bennett nodded her assent. This time it was his turn to sit while she paced.

"North," she finally said, "I want you to know that I've thought a lot about this. And I want you to understand up front that, to an extent, I'm still grieving the loss of my husband. I may not feel the pain as much anymore, but that doesn't mean that he isn't still in my heart every day."

"I would not expect it to be otherwise. And you must know that I would never want to take his place. But this love that I feel in my heart for you—"

"I know," Mrs. Bennett said, cutting him off.

"You do?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

She gave him a small smile. "Yes, because I have the same feelings for you."

His eyes lit up. "You do?"

"Yes," she answered.

"So—is this a yes?"

"I guess it is."

"This is wonderful!" he cried, leaping up. "You have made me the happiest man in the world."

Mrs. Bennett laughed at his childlike exuberance. It was one of the many things that she was falling in love with about him. She realized with a start that she was actually beginning to be able to think about loving someone other than Daniel without it feeling like a betrayal. This actually felt…right.

"Shall we tell Jamie and Sophie the good news?" North asked after a minute in which they just smiled at each other, glad to feel the tension gone from between them and a new and wonderful emotion in its place. Mrs. Bennett nodded and together they walked out into the living room. They were spared having to explain it to Jamie-he'd apparently heard some of what was being said in the kitchen and pieced it together. He was leaning against the couch with a smile on his face as they entered. "So, you guys are dating now, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett agreed, trying hard to keep from smiling too hard.

"But only if it's okay with you and Sophie," North put in quickly. "We want you to be a part of this decision too." Mrs. Bennett was glad to know that North had also been thinking about the kid's well-being.

Jamie appeared to be thinking it over, and then his face broke out into a huge grin. "Are you kidding me? This is awesome!"

"North! North!" Sophie cheered, clapping her hands together happily.

Mrs. Bennett and North shared a smile. It looked like everything was going to work okay after all.

"There's just one more thing we're going to have to do," Mrs. Bennett said to North late that night after the little family plus one had celebrated the good news with ice cream.

"Tell Jack about this?" North suggested, wondering how his young friend would react to the news as he helped her tuck Sophie into bed.

"No, I think for now we'd better let him concentrate on his work for now," Mrs. Bennett replied. "If he found out, you know he'd head straight back here and winter would never come to the southern hemisphere."

"True," North agreed with a chuckle. "What is it then?"

"Well, like it or not, between Jack, you, and all of the other Guardians, this family is now permanently linked to the mythical world," Mrs. Bennett responded, smoothing her daughter's hair down. "But there's someone who's also a part of this family who's going to have to know what's going on."

"And who is that?"

"My older brother."

"Ah." North considered this. "Do you think this will be problem?"

"Well, hopefully not," Mrs. Bennett conceded as they headed back out into the hall and shut the door behind them. "But how does one explain to their overprotective older brother that they're dating Santa Claus?"

0o0

YAY! Mrs. Bennett said YES! Whoo! *Insert Snoopy happy dance here* But now we've got another problem—North and Mrs. Bennett have to talk to Mrs. Bennett's brother and get his permission for them to officially start courting. Oh goodness, can things never be simple for these two? My apologies for the cliffhanger, but hopefully next week's chapter will make up for it!

In other news, I hope all of you liked Carol! I think she's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, and for those of you who really enjoyed her, never fear—she's going to be in next week's chapter too I apologize if the writing wasn't very good in this chapter—maybe I'm just second guessing myself, but I was freaking out while typing it up, so let me know what you think. Ice cream sandwiches to all of my reviewers (because who honestly didn't want to be a part of that ice cream party at the Bennetts'?) Can't wait to see y'all next week! Have a blessed and safe one


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! So sorry for the late post, but right now I think I am clinically brain dead. This chapter took a lot longer to type up than I expected, and on top of that I just started up a new RP account on deviantart as Tadashi from "Big Hero 6", and I'm coming up with ideas for a possible "Big Hero 6" fanfic, and…. Well, enough of my excuses. Please enjoy, and forgive any typos. I'll see you at the bottom!

0o0

By the time that North left that night, he and Mrs. Bennett had a plan in place—well, sort of. It was more of a shot in the dark than anything, but somehow or other by Sunday evening Mrs. Bennett's brother was going to believe in Santa Claus. Hopefully.

Knowing that her brother, who was a minister, would be busy until noon, Mrs. Bennett invited North to come along with the family to the early service at their home church before they flew out to Washington, which he readily agreed to. Mrs. Bennett had almost forgotten how nice it was to have someone to share the hymnal with—even if most of the congregation couldn't see him.

They arrived in Washington a little after noon. Fortunately Mrs. Bennett had managed to get her sister a message that they were "flying in" so that they would be expecting their arrival. It wasn't exactly the way she would have preferred to let her brother that she had started seeing someone. She would have rather have told him in person, but it would be easier to convince him that the man she was courting, who he would believe was real, was Santa Claus than to try to convince him on the spot that Santa Claus was real so that he would be able to see him. Again, to be safe, North landed the sleigh back in the woods so that they wouldn't attract undue attention. There was enough of that from the little children, exciting Sunday school classes who could easily pick him out as Santa, even in the civilian clothes of a red collared shirt with charcoal grey slacks and a matching tie.

"Just try to act casual," Mrs. Bennett whispered as they made their way up the church steps. "My brother can be a little overbearing at times, but he means well."

"How exactly do I act 'casual'?" North whispered back. "My version of casual may not be yours."

"Just be your usual, charming self and you'll be fine," she responded, reaching up and straightening his tie. "Only don't start talking about yetis or boogeymen and we should be fine."

By then they'd reached the front of the sanctuary and they waited until Fredrick and his wife said goodbye to the last of the parishioners before moving forward to greet them.

Carol was the first to spot them. "Jennifer!" she called out, rushing forward to give her a hug.

"Carol, it's so good to see you!" Mrs. Bennett replied, hugging her back.

"We were surprised to get your message, but we're so glad you came!" Carol stepped back and took in North for the first time. "Well, this must be the gentleman who's stolen our little Jenny's heart. How do you do? I'm her sister in law, Carol."

"The pleasure is all mine," North replied, giving her a bow and kissing her hand.

"Ooh, you really picked a charmer," Carol said, winking at Mrs. Bennett who blushed slightly.

"Hello, I'm Rev. Fredrick, Jennifer's brother," Fredrich said, stepping forward to shake his hand.

"Ah, Reverend, it is so good to meet you!" North shook his hand heartily. "I have heard much about you from Jennifer." Mrs. Bennett was glad that he didn't go on to elaborate that most of it had been warnings about what he should and should not do around her overprotective older sibling.

"We were certainly surprised to hear that you were coming," Fredrick noted, echoing what his wife had said earlier. "I still don't understand how you got here so quickly."

"North often flies for his work," Mrs. Bennett responded, going with the prearranged story that they had agreed upon—truthful, but vague enough to delay suspicions until the right time came to explain everything.

"Oh, what line of work are you in?" Carol asked curiously.

"I own a toy making factory up North," North replied honestly. "We make and distribute toys worldwide."

"How fun!" Carol beamed. "And if you don't mind my saying so, you look just perfect for that job—you could be Santa Claus himself!"

North gave a jolly laugh at that, and Mrs. Bennett tried to do the same but it was more of an uncomfortable cough. Fortunately Jamie and Sophie, who had been out on the playground visiting with the other children, chose that moment to came running in to greet their Aunt and Uncle.

"There's our favorite niece and nephew!" Carol cooed happily, bending down so that she could hug them.

Fredrick smiled down at them and gave Jamie's hair a quick tussle, and then looked around as if expecting to see someone else. "Where's Jack?" he finally asked.

"Yes, where is our new nephew?" Carol asked excitedly. "I haven't gotten to meet him yet since I was stuck at a conference during Jamie's birthday, and I've been saving a special hug just for him."

Mrs. Bennett and North exchanged a nervous glance. For some reason they hadn't thought of how to explain Jack's sudden disappearance, and in their momentary confusion Jamie piped up helpfully, "He's down South."

"Down South? What on Earth is he doing there?" Carol questioned with obvious disappointment.

"He's on a trip," Mrs. Bennett quickly put in, just as North not thinking said, "On a mission."

"On a mission trip?" Fredrick raised an eyebrow. "Well, that sounds like a wonderful experience for him, but I do have to question why it would be rescheduled in the middle of the school year."

North and Mrs. Bennett don't know how to honestly explain it to him without sounding crazy, so they decided to just wait to correct the misunderstanding later.

"Well, come on," Carol spoke up after an awkward moment of silence. "I know these two little ones are probably ready for some lunch, and even though Rose always holds a table at the diner we can't expect her to hold onto it too much longer with the crowds she gets."

"Goodness, is Rose still at the diner?" Mrs. Bennett asked, her eyes going wide.

"Yep, she still owns and operates the place," Fredrick confirmed.

"Rose is an old family friend," Mrs. Bennett explained for North's benefit. "She's been at the diner since I was a little girl."

"She claims to have owned the place since our grandfather was a little boy," Fredrick added. "Of course that's impossible, but since she makes the best chicken fried steak in town we let her eccentricities slide."

Thinking of just how old Jack and North technically were, to Mrs. Bennett the story sounded oddly plausible. But she brushed it from her mind as they made their way down the steps and into the little downtown area. Mrs. Bennett enjoyed pointing out favorite childhood landmarks for North, glad to be sharing a very near and dear part of her life with him.

At Rose's Diner it was, of course, packed. Almost everyone went there for lunch after the morning service, meaning Rose had to slip out a few minutes early every Sunday so she could get the place open and ready for business. Despite the potential for disaster, Rose somehow managed to keep coffee cups filled, orders coming fresh off the grill, and thing running smoothly, with a genuine smile for every lonely traveler and old friend who came in the door. As she spotted the Bennetts coming in the door, her grin became especially wide. "Oh mah stars, if it ain't Miss Jenny!" she cried happily. "Give me just a minute and ah'll be right with you folks!" She disappeared into the kitchen, and then reappeared with ten different platters of food which she somehow managed to deliver almost simultaneously and then rushed over to greet the newcomers.

"Goodness, Ah haven't seen you in ages!" Rose almost squeezed the life out of Mrs. Bennett in her enthusiastic hug. "How are you, honey child?"

"I'm doing all right," Mrs. Bennett replied once she's been de-smothered. Then she gestured to North. "Rose, I'd like you to meet my very good friend North."

Rose stares North down for a minute, as if somehow she knows him, but then she just smile and shakes hands heartily with the big man. "Well, how do there? It's a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Miss Jenny's is a friend of mine, and anyone who apparently enjoys good cooking as much as you do is doubly." She gave him a wink to show that she didn't mean nay harm by the jest, and then produced six menus almost out of thin air. "Follow me folks, I've got the side room all set up for you!"

As they followed her through the crowded dining room, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but wonder how she'd known to have the side room, which was usually saved for special occasions set up for them. But, again, she chalked that up to coincidence. Her mind was for occupied with the upcoming ordeal to dwell on it. Rose took their drink orders, as usual knowing exactly what everyone wanted before they even had to ask, and then retired to the kitchen to, as she put it, let the family "have some privacy". The conversation was polite but stilted as Fredrick tried to, in a roundabout way, find as much out about the man that his sister was dating as possible, and North and Mrs. Bennett tried figure out the best way to bring up their true purpose for being there in the conversation. It finally came about thanks to two things—the first was Rose, after delivering the food, saying that she had a few children's outfits that had been passed on to her to give to anyone who wanted them and she wanted to see if they would fit Jamie and Sophie. Although she disliked accepting charity, Mrs. Bennett knew that Rose's intentions were pure, so she agreed to it. Honestly, at the rate her children kept growing, she was going to need some help.

The second thing was that, during the quiet moment after the meal in which the adults were sitting around talking while drinking their coffee, Mrs. Bennett had an unexpected visitor—An unexpected visitor who was seven feet tall, covered in grey fur, and had exceptionally long ears. At first she and North didn't even notice Bunnymund. He entered the room silently and looking about, located his quarry, and started making his way over just as Mrs. Bennett began her feeble attempt to explain about North and Jack and everything.

"Fredrick, as a pastor, you've probably seen a lot of seemingly impossible things in your lap," she started, nervously tapping the rim of her glass.

"Well yes, I suppose so," he agreed, taking a sip of his own coffee. "Miracles and that sort of thing, right?"

"Right." Mrs. Bennett nodded. "And our whole faith is based on the premise of believing in things which can't be seen—to place our belief in a God and a Savior Who can't be seen by human eyes, except for evidence of Him in creation, and in spiritual bodies such as angels and demons, right?"

"Yes." Mr. Bennett raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Jennifer, if this is an assurance of salvation talk or anything, you know I'm always glad to answer your questions—"

"Oh no, it's not that," Mrs. Bennett quickly assured him. "I'm more so wondering what you thought about the possibility of their being other things out there—things which we can't see but are very real nonetheless."

"What sort of things?"

"Well, you know—fairies and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and such. Do you think that there's any chance that they're out there?"

"Oh sis, I think you've been spending too much time with your fairytale books."

"Um, Fredrick?" Carol said, suddenly going pale and tapping his arm in an effort to get his attention.

"I mean the very premise of all of them is rooted in speculation and old wives tales. There's certainly no solid evidence that they have ever existed."

"Fredrick," Carol tried again.

"The very idea of such a thing is almost laughable. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to say 'no'. I don't think that they're real at all."

"Fredrick!" Carol jerked his sleeve and pointed across the table. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Mrs. Bennett whirled around and same face to face with Bunnymund.

"Uh, g'day Missus Bennett," he said, nervously rubbing one ear against the other. "I came to deliver one of Jack's letters, but I apparently came at a bad time."

"No old friend, I think you came at just the right time," North responded, motioning for him to stay where he was.

"Are you—are you the Easter Bunny?" Carol asked timidly.

"Aye," Bunnymund agrees, giving her a half-wave with one of his boomerangs. "That I am. Name's Bunnymund, by the way, but I go by either. Whatever floats your boat."

"What are you all staring at?" Fredrick asked a little impatiently.

"Oh, we've got a nonbeliever," Bunnymund said, glancing over at North and Mrs. Bennett. "I'm guessing that's what you two are here about, although why in Heaven's name you're trying to convince someone about the reality of the Guardians in beyond me. What are you two doing all the way over here together, anyway? I had to track you halfway across the bloomin' continent so I could give you the note from Jack." He dug into his rucksack and pulled out the aforementioned letter.

"Wait, why is the Easter Bunny delivering Jack's letters?" Carol asked, looking to Mrs. Bennett for an explanation.

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" Fredrick pressed. "I don't see anything—"

Just then, the door to the little room opened and Jamie and Sophie returned along with Rose, who was laden down with a tray of cake. Jamie and Sophie weren't phased by the appearance of their mythical friend, but Rose was so startled that she dropped her tray. It went tumbling towards the ground, on a direct collision course, but instants before everything could smash into the floor all of the plates suddenly froze in midair. Slowly but surely they began to float back up until they were all back resting on the tray as if nothing had happened.

"All right, now that I did see," Fredrick finally said, looking more than a little disturbed.

For her part, Rose looked livid. She set the tray down on the table and marched over to the corner, her frizzy brown hair sticking out even more than usual as she angrily grabbed the broom. "Bunnymund, you trouble makin' rabbit! I thought I told you to stay out of my restaurant! I warned you that the next time you came in here and made a mess of things that I was going to give you a taste of my broom, and you're going to get it!"

"Now, wait!" Bunnymund protested, backing up slowly. "I was only here because I was delivering a letter! You know that I'd never come in here if I didn't have a good reason! C'mon, Fairy Godmother, have a care!"

"Fairy Godmother?" All eyes turned back to Rose, who pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips.

"Jennifer, was the rabbit giving you any trouble?" she finally asked.

"No," Mrs. Bennett was quick to answer. "He was delivering a letter to me from Jack."

"Jack?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"My adopted son—Jack Frost."

"Oh, that Jack." Rose's eyes lit up with understanding. "Now how in the blue blazes did you get mixed up with him?"

"It's a long story, but to keep it short he's apparently a long-lost family ancestor."

"You don't say?" Rose leaned on her broom. "Yeah, I can see it," she said after a minute. "Jamie looks a lot like him, and Sophie's definitely got his eyes, only in green."

Jamie looked proud to be told that he looked like his older brother. Fredrick, however, was still trying to come to grips with all of this.

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" he implored.

"I'll try to explain as best I can," Mrs. Bennett said, "although it's a little on the confusing side."

"Try me." He folded his arms over his chest and all eyes turned to her as she started her account.

"All right, well remember when we were growing up, Grandma always told us about the family guardian angel?"

"Of course. She told us more stories than I can ever care to repeat."

"Well, it turns out that the guardian angel was Jack."

"What?"

"He was actually the brother of our however many greats grandmother. Remember that story in the old family journals about the boy who fell into the frozen lake saving his sister?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, that was Jack. Only he didn't die. He became the Spirit of ice and snow and, as it would have it, the unwitting protector of our family for generations."

"But he's only fourteen! How is that even possible? He should be centuries old by now."

"Three centuries old to be exact," Bunnymund put in. "Like most of us Guardians, he stopped aging."

"Guardians?" Fredrick, who could apparently see, or at least hear him now, raised an eyebrow. "Who or what are the Guardians?"

"The Guardians of childhood. Our job is to protect the children of the Earth. There were just for of us for a while—myself, the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Sand Man, as you probably know us. But then when Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, showed up again after we'd put him away centuries back, the Man in the Moon chose Jack as a new Guardian to help us defeat him."

"And then how exactly did he get mixed up my sister and her family?"

"Well, you see, Pitch was trying to destroy the belief of every child in the world in us so that he could take over. But my little mate here was the only one who wouldn't give up on us." He gave Jamie a friendly nudge on the shoulder.

"I almost did," Jamie admitted. "But then Jack came and made it snow in my room. It was so cool! He helped me get all of my friends to start believing in the Guardians again. Then they were able to take down Pitch, and it was so awesome! Jack had to leave for a little while after that to do some training, but then he came back and stared playing with me and Sophie after school. I invited him to my birthday party, but I guess it was too hot outside because he kind of melted."

"Melted?" Carol finally spoke up, looking slightly horrified. "Do you mean—"

"No, he's fine," Mrs. Bennett reassured her. "Well, sort of. Overheating caused him to become human again—"

"Which is when we found him under the tree," Fredrick said, filling in the missing pieces.

"Exactly," Mrs. Bennett told him. "I didn't even know who he was at the time, but as far as we knew he thought he was going to be human permanently. But then he fell into a frozen lake again saving Jamie, and got his powers back. He had to head down South for the winter to keep from melting again, but before he left he introduced us to the other Guardians—"

"—which is how we met," North finished for her.

"Oh goodness!" Carol cried. "So you—you really are Santa Claus."

"Yes," North agreed. "I'm sorry that we could not tell you from the start, but…"

"But we would have believed it." Carol nodded. "Of course. We understand, right Fredrick?"

Fredrick was massaging his temples. "I think I am going to have a massive headache before this all is over. But I guess this explains a few things—like why Jack looked so much like Jacob."

"Exactly," Mrs. Bennett nodded. Then she turned to Rose. "But that still doesn't explain your part in all of this. So you're really—"

"The rum Fairy Godmother? You'd better believe it," Bunnymund spoke up. "Sure, everyone can see her like she's mortal because she's in the bloomin' fairy-human relations department, but I've got the bruises from her wand to prove otherwise."

"You earned every one of them," Rose shot back huffily. "This troublemaker's been stealing vegetables out of my garden for as long as I can remember."

"That was a long time ago," Bunnymund protested.

"Not long enough," Rose huffed. "Impertinent little whippersnapper."

"Just how long have you been around, exactly?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

"Long enough to make all these others look like children in comparison," she replied primly. "I've been using magic to look after royals and aspiring princesses for long that the lot of them combined have been alive." She glanced over at Fredrick, "And Reverend, don't go thinking I've been corrupting anyone or this town. I only work in light magic. The worst I do is occasionally have the Blue Fairy and some of the other girls over for a bingo night."

"Right." Fredrick still looked a little uncertain. "I guess I have just one question—what was the purpose of telling us all of this?"

"Because, like it or not Fredrick, our family's becoming a part of something bigger than ourselves," Mrs. Bennett responded. "And I thought it would be best if you knew what we were getting into."

"Well, you've certainly done that," Fredrick replied, shaking his head.

"I think it's wonderful," Carol finally said. "After all, how lucky—how blessed—are we? Most people have not idea that all of this is real. But it's like we're being let in on one of the best secrets in the whole world. Isn't it exciting?" She turned to her husband.

"It—is going to get some taking used to," he finally conceded.

Bunnymund glanced up at the clock on the wall. "I hate to break up the party, but I've got to get goin'. I've already spent more time than I planned to."

"What is your hurry?" North asked. "You just finished off the Easter season. You do not have anything to do for the rest of the year."

"That as may be," Bunnymund responded, "I promised a certain Scottish lass that I'd take her out for some target practice as an apology for falling asleep while babysitting."

"Ooh, can I come?" Jamie asked eagerly.

"Sorry, Ace," Bunnymund gave him a half smile, "but I promised her we'd go solo on this one. Next time, okay?"

"All right," Jamie agreed, sounding a little disappointed.

"Tell you what." North looked down at him fondly. "How about when we get back I take all of you out for a movie and some ice cream afterwards?"

"That sounds awesome!" Jamie said, perking right up.

"Well, if we're going to do all that and I'm going to have the kids up for school in the morning, we need to get going too," Mrs. Bennett told him.

"Oh, must you go so soon?" Carol asked.

"Well, I think we've caused enough damage for one day," Mrs. Bennett said with a smile. "Anything more and I fear you'll have to give him one of your therapy sessions."

"I'm fine," Fredrick said a little defensively, to which Mrs. Bennett responded with a hug.

"Of course you are," she answered. "That's why you're my big brother."

"We'll walk you out," was all he replies with an uncomfortable cough, never having been one to stand by public displays of affection.

The little group made their way back out to the woods without too much trouble. Of course Fredrick and Carol were a little awestruck by the sleigh and the reindeer. While they were examining it, Bunnymund finally remembered to deliver the letter from Jack. Mrs. Bennett tore it open and was delighted to find that Jack had been making use of the camera. He had included a few pictures of himself and Tooth in the mountains playing with a family of wolf cubs and some of the local children. The proud mother called Fredrick and Carol over to see the photographs.

"So that's what he really looks like, huh?" Fredrick couldn't help but smile at a picture of Tooth nailing Jack with a snowball.

"He looks a lot like you, Jennifer," Carol told her, making Mrs. Bennett smile with pride. "I can't wait to meet him when he gets back. Three hundred years without a family? That boy is due for some major spoiling."

Bunnymund coughed lightly to get their attention. "Well, it's been lovely folks, but I've really got to run." He turned to Fredrick and Carol. "Nice to meet folks." He nodded to Rose. "Goodbye, and I'm sorry again for popping in without permission." He got a snort in reply. "Jamie, Sophie, I'll be seeing you two around. And, if my guess is correct since you're meetin' her family, North, congrats to you and Missus Bennett."

North nodded his thanks. Then, after one last hug from Sophie, Bunny stomped the ground twice and disappeared into a rabbit hole.

"We'd best get going too," Mrs. Bennett said.

"Well, don't you be strangers now," Carol told her, giving her a hug and the, surprisingly, she hugged North too. "Sorry, couldn't resist giving the real Santa a hug!" she explained. Then she winked at them. "And when the time comes for you pre-maritals, well, you know where my office is."

"It was very good to meet you both," North said, shaking both of them by the hand.

"Likewise," Fredrick responded. He shook his head slightly. "This afternoon had certainly changed a lot for me, but, hopefully it's for the best." He gave his sister a quick squeeze on the arm. "It was good to see you sis."

"You too," Mrs. Bennett replied, smiling back.

They had all piled into the sleigh and getting ready to take off when Mrs. Bennett suddenly remembered something. She turned back around and called, "Fredric! Does this mean that we have your blessing?"

"I hardly think I could say no at this point," he laughed, both he and Carol waving as they took off. "Take good care of my sister!" he shouted to North as they flew off into the fading afternoon sky.

"I certainly will," North responded, but quietly, just so Mrs. Bennett could hear him. She smiled and snuggled in next to him as they made their way back to Burgess and home.

0o0

Well, hopefully you all enjoyed that! Oh my goodness, my fingers are so sore, I'm going to let you go without a long spiel. Please, please review if you have the time. I really like to know that you guys are still reading this out there somewhere across the internet (although I understand it's hard to keep up with all of the fics you're reading and school.) Popcorn balls to all of my reviewers, and hugs and blessings to all of you! See you next week!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Well, school's officially back in session at my college, so for those of you who just finished your first week like me, congrats! You made it! :D Let's celebrate with a new chapter (which I actually have typed up on time for once! Whoo!) that hopefully won't make you too wistful for the end of the semester already. Yes, that's right, Summer Vacation has finally come to Burgess! The Bennetts and the Guardians are ready to celebrate, but will watching North playing with the kids stir up some things Mrs. Bennett would rather leave in the past? Well, read on to find out!

0o0

The students stared at the clock on the wall. The seconds seemed to tick by impossibly slowly. "Tick…Tick…Tick.." The time drew ever nearer. As it came down to the wire, one brave soul stood up and shouted. "Ten!" The others took up the rallying cry. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Ring!

"And that's the end of the school year, everyone!" Mrs. Bennett announced. "Have a great summer. Don't forget to clean out your lockers, and I'll see you in the fall!"

Students rushed out of the classroom in a flurry of backpacks, flying pencils, and discarded papers. Mrs. Bennett sighed and leaned back at her desk. Another school year was finally over. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of students in the hallway. It was almost like a soothing melody, the first sounds of summer. As she started to gather her things up, a knock came at her door.

"Come in!" she called, ducking down below the desk to pick up her purse. When she came back up, she found North standing there holding a colorful bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, North, thank you!" she gasped happily.

"Only the best for you," he chuckled. "Happy end of the school year."

"Very happy indeed," Mrs. Bennett agreed with a laugh. "I'll still be working part time at the hospital, but it's going to be so nice not to have to go in to work every day and actually have time for the kids."

"And us?" North added with a raised eyebrow.

"Well of course," Mrs. Bennett replied coyly, taking his hands in hers.

"Oh, I see what you are doing," North said, giving her a wry smile and leaning in. Mrs. Bennett giggled as he brushed her hair back. But before they could do anything more, the door to the classroom banged open and three students came rushing in.

"Hey Mrs. Bennett," Merida called, and then stopped suddenly as she saw what was going on. "Oh, erm…Hi North. Did we… interrupt something?"

"No, no," Mrs. Bennett said quickly as she and North made distance between themselves. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we'd say goodbye before heading out," Hiccup replied, trying but failing to get rid of the emotionally scarring mental image of his English teacher flirting with Santa Claus.

"Well, thank you." Mrs. Bennett smoothed back her hair and trying to act as professional as possible under the circumstances.

"So, do you have any fun plans for summer?" North asked, trying to salvage the situation.

"Yeah, camping with my dad. He wants to walk the entire Oregon Trail. Whoo…" Hiccup said with a smile that looked more like a grimace, his try at enthusiasm fell flat.

"Well, look on the bright side," North told him. "It will be good for Toothless to be out in the fresh air, connecting with his roots. And out in nature, you can finally start some real training with him without having to worry about other people being around."

"True," Hiccup conceded. "My dad's best friend, Gobber, is going with us, so I guess I can slip away every now and then while they're fishing and stuff for some training sessions." He looked into his permanently unzipped backpack. "What do you say bud? Ready to start stretching your wings?" The over-enthusiastic dragon pup inside gave his cheek a slobbery lick. "Ah ha ha…that's disgusting." His wiped his cheek on the sleeve of his t-shirt without thinking, and groaned as he realized his mistake. "And yet another article of clothing destroyed by the permanent stain of dragon slobber," he sighed. "Dragons may supposed to be these amazing mythical creatures, but they're horrible on the wardrobe."

"My family's going on a Disney Cruise," Rapunzel put in excitedly, unable to withhold her enthusiasm. "I can't wait! It's my first trip with my real parents, so they let me pick where we're going. I told them that I wanted to visit Europe, and they surprised me last night by telling me that we're actually going to take a cruise over there! It's going to be so nice having time just for us. And I'm going to get all of the princesses' autographs, of course!"

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Bennett told her with a smile. She didn't know much about the long haired girl's past, except that she'd spent most of her life living with a mentally imbalanced kidnapper named Mildred Gothel and she'd only been found by the police about a year ago. Even though Gothel was now behind bars (thanks to the efforts of a certain tooth-loving fairy and her army of tiny helpers), adjusting to life with her birth family was taking some time. Yet despite all of the atrocities that she'd been through, the girl had still managed to keep a sweet and innocent disposition that spoke of an inner as well as an outer beauty.

"Well, you know what I'm going to be doing," Merida said cheerfully, breaking into Mrs. Bennett's thoughts. "I'll be watchin' your little 'uns while you're at work."

"And thank you so much for agreeing to do that," Mrs. Bennett was truly grateful. "When our regular babysitter told us that she was going overseas on a medical missions trip, I didn't know what I was going to do!"

"It'll be fun," Merida replied breezily. "I'll get a break from my crazy family, and maybe Bunnymund can finally learn something about actual kids."

"Ah, yes." Mrs. Bennett had been slightly skeptical when Bunnymund had offered his warren as a sort of day camp for the kids while she was at work, but between his seeming earnestness in wanting to get what he called some "field experience", Sophie and Jamie's excited pleas, Merida's willingness to go along with the arrangement, and the added bonus of not having to return to a wrecked house after work, with North's urging she had finally agreed to it. It was the Easter Bunny's home, after all. How much trouble could they get into?

"Speaking of the children," North said, bringing her back to the present, "we should get going if we want to pick them up from school."

"Right." Mrs. Bennett gathered up the rest of her things. "Well you three have a good summer, and Hiccup and Rapunzel, I guess I'll see you in the fall, okay?"

"Okay!" The three students followed her and North out into the hall, then said their final goodbyes and headed off towards the doors. North and Mrs. Bennett headed in the opposite direction, towards the teachers' parking lot. They climbed into the old blue Ford and then Mrs. Bennett pulled out of her spot and into the street. They picked Jamie up from his elementary school, glad to be finished with fifth grade and all "sugared up", as Mrs. Bennett put it, from his class party. Then they went and got Sophie from daycare, and, after a quick stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things, headed back to the Bennett house.

"Just put the groceries on the table," she told North, who had offered to carry them in, as they entered through the back kitchen door. "We've only got a couple of hours before everyone gets here, and there's a lot to do." She checked the instructions on the back of the vegetarian lasagna before setting the oven to 350 degrees. As a sort of kick off to summer, she was hosting a small party for some of the neighborhood kids and the Guardians at the house. Even thought it was just a small gathering, that didn't mean that she didn't take it seriously. She sent the kids to go clean up their rooms, and then, with North's help, spent the next couple of hours putting together party snacks and decorating the living room. North had made most of the directions himself, and had even put together party favors for all of the kids.

"It looks wonderful," she told him once they'd finished decorating.

"Yes, I believe even Summer would be pleased by this," North agreed, looking proudly at their handiwork.

"Summer?" Mrs. Bennett looked at him curiously, wondering how a season could be pleased by something.

"The Spirit of Summer," Noth explained.

"Oh." Mrs. Bennett mentally wondered just how many mythical beings there really were. "So does that make Jack the Spirit of Winter?" she questioned as the thought struck her.

"No, he is just the Spirit of Snow and Ice," North told her. "The four seasons are—or were—the daughters of Mother Nature. I saw Summer and Fall not that long ago when they were working together to transition the seasons, so I know that they're fine. But sadly, we lost Spring about three years ago, and others have had to take her responsibilities back on. As for Winter, well, I assume that she is well, although I have not heard from her for quite some time. Not that that's uncommon—we all tend to stick to our own areas."

"I see," Mrs. Bennett said, although now she was feeling more confused than ever. Fortunately the doorbell rang, cutting the conversation mercifully short. It turned out to be Bunnymund, bearing a platter of deviled eggs.

"Evenin'," he greeted them as Mrs. Bennett let him inside. "Any of the little ankle biters arrived yet?"

"Not yet," Mrs. Bennett responded, accepting the tray from him. "But Jamie and Sophie are upstairs if you want to go see them."

"I think I'll do that," Bunny said with a smile. He headed up the stairs, followed a few minutes later by Tooth, who arrived with a pitcher of agave nectar and a letter from Jack with apologies for not being able to make it (he was almost at his busiest time making the winter for the South, plus the heat of summer was almost definitely too much for him to handle at the point) and best wishes for the party.

Sandy was the last to arrive, and then the Guardians stayed out of sight until all of the children had been dropped off by the parents (to avoid any uncomfortable explanations to any of the parents who might still be believers). But as soon as everyone had arrived, the party went into full swing. Games of all sorts were played, stories were told, and more sugary treats than were probably advisable by Tooth's standards were devoured. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, the kids or the Guardians. Mrs. Bennett played referee to an extent, making sure that things didn't get too out of hand. But as she leaned against the wall, catching her breath after rescuing the punch bowl from an untimely demise and mitigating an argument over whether tails that fell off of the donkey actually counted, she couldn't help but smile as she watched North playing with the children. The way that he lit up when he was round them made it obvious that he loved their playtimes as much as they did. And the way that he made sure that Sophie was being included in the fun, even though she was the youngest of the bunch, and helped Jamie make what must have been the most intricate paper airplane she'd ever seen, touched her heart as it brought back sweet memories of Daniel. Her husband would have been doing much the same thing—he loved being right in the thick of things, and even more so loved being with his kids, whether it was at a party, on a trip to the park, or even just tucking them into bed. He'd been so involved with Jacob and Jamie, and she knew that he would have loved Sophie and Jack had he been around to meet them. She brushed an errant tear from her cheek, and then shook her head to clear her mind of the thoughts. This was supposed to be a celebration, not a time to be sad. Still, even as she clapped her hands to call the kids together for the movie, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of bittersweet nostalgia.

"I'm going to go start cleaning some things up in the kitchen," she told North as the movie started.

"I will go with you," he offered, and she didn't turn him down. They worked in silence for a while, her washing the dishes and him drying. It wasn't until they'd almost finished that North finally said anything.

"Is everything all right?" he asked as she started to load the dishwasher.

"Sure, why do you ask?" Mrs. Bennett replied.

"I do not mean to pry," North said a little nervously, "but…I thought I saw you crying earlier."

"Oh, that." Mrs. Bennett waved his fears aside. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" North didn't look convinced. "Forgive me if I am wrong, but something does not seem quite right with you." He looked so earnest that Mrs. Bennett didn't have the heart to lie to him.

"Well, to be honest," she sighed, "I guess something was a little off. It was just…watching you with the kids reminded me so much of Daniel."

"Daniel—he was your husband?" North asked gently.

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett agreed with a slightly forced smile. "He passed on a couple of years in an auto accident. There wasn't anything we could have done."

"I am so sorry," North told her, and she could tell that he was. He fiddled with his cap, unsure of what to say next. "I can tell that you miss him terribly."

"Well, it hasn't been easy," she admitted. "Losing both him and Jacob at once was hard. But it's gotten better with time and prayer. God's been good to us—He's let me keep Jamie and Sophie, and we've still got a roof over our heads. Plus we have been blessed with family and friends who have helped us through the hard times."

"I am glad of that," North said with a smile.

"He would have liked you," Mrs. Bennett said suddenly. "Daniel, I mean. You're a lot alike."

"How so?" North asked curiously.

"You're both great with kids," she responded. "And they love you. You always look at the glass as half full. You don't give up easily. And you both love Christmas. He would have sung Christmas carols all year if I'd let him."

North laughed at that, which encouraged Mrs. Bennett to go on. "Not that I wouldn't have too," she continued, her voice becoming soft as she recounted the memories. "We both loved that time of year. Even when he was alive, money was tight, but he always managed to find a way to make things magical around here. I used to joke that he could make anything out of some yarn, an old cardboard box, and a little poster paint. We both just felt that it was the time of year when everyone was a little more caring, a little more loving, a little more concerned for their fellow man. Daniel brought carried that spirit with him all year long. He never knew a stranger, and was always willing to help anyone in need. And he just had this…wonder about him. It was like he looked at the world for the way that it could be, not just the way it was. He always tried to find the best in everyone and everything. I think it's one of the things I miss about him most."

When she had been silent for a minute, North took it as his turn to speak. "I am honored that you were willing to share something so personal—so close to your heart—with me," he said quietly. "And I want you to know that I would never try to take the place of this wonderful man in your heart."

"I know," Mrs. Bennett said with a tiny smile. "And I want to thank you for that. But Jack told me once, and so did my sister, that they thought Daniel would want me to be happy, and I think so too. So even though I'll never really stop loving him, I think—no, I know—that I'm ready to finally open my heart of to love someone else."

"Jennifer," North looked down at her lovingly, "I would be so happy if I could be that man."

"You already are," Mrs. Bennett replied, touching his arm gently. They stayed there for some time, the silence between them saying more than words ever could, until Bunnymund rapped on the door to let them know that it was almost time for the parents to come pick up their kids.

After everyone else had returned home, and Jamie and Sophie had been sent up to get ready for bed, Mrs. Bennett and North said goodbye at the back door. There was a tender caress, and then North got into his sleigh to fly back to the Pole. Mrs. Bennett waved goodbye until he was out of sight, and then headed back inside to tuck the kids in.

"Hey mom?" Jamie said as she pulled the blankets up to his chin.

"Mm-hm?" Mrs. Bennett replied as she prepared to click off the bedside lamp.

"Your face looks kinda weird—like it's glowing or something. Are you feeling okay?" he answered.

"Oh, Jamie." Mrs. Bennett smiled as she hugged him close. "I'm more than okay. We're all going to be okay."

And for the first time in a very long while, she knew that it was true.

0o0

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Okay, hopefully that fully expresses the fangirling that we're all doing right now ! :D Sorry, wow, way more fluff got into that chapter than is legally allowed! But can anyone honestly say that they didn't enjoy it? (If any of you need a defibrillator to get your hearts started again, here ya go, and my sincerest apologies for overloading you on the cuteness!) Cotton candy seems like the proper thing to give to my reviewers considering the fluffy sweetness of this chapter I hope y'all enjoyed the threesome cameoing again at the beginning of this chapter—poor kiddos, they learned the hard lesson that we never quite remember that our teachers are actually humans and have social lives until it's too late, do we? XD Anway, it sounds like they've got a fun summer ahead going off on all of their various adventures! And what's ahead for Mrs. Bennett and North? Well, we'll have to wait and see, but all I can say is grab your lint rollers because things are about to get super fluffy in here! ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! It's that time again :D First of all, I hope everyone's week is going well. I know my semester's going a little crazy, but I just want you guys to remember that we can get through this, no matter how insane things get! Now, just to let you know, this is a pretty special chapter. I think you're really going to enjoy it, so let you get to reading and see you again at the bottom!

0o0

"Happy Birthday Mom!" Mrs. Bennett awoke to find her two children standing beside her bed. She smiled as Jamie slid a tray in next to her and then he and Sophie clambered up too.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, expressing as much enthusiasm as much enthusiasm as relief. For the first time in years, the traditional breakfast in bed looked edible. None of the other members of the family had ever been able to cook except for Jacob, so a bagel with cream cheese, a glass of juice, and a plate of strawberries sounded wonderful. She kissed both Jamie and Sophie on the tops of their heads to express her gratitude. "Did you do all of this yourselves?"

"Well…" Jamie exchanged a look with his younger sister. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly? Did someone help you?" In the past the thought of some unknown person being in the house before dawn would have had her concerned, but after three months of having Guardians coming in and out of the house at all hours, she was used to it.

"If by 'help' you mean that someone else made it, then yes," Jamie said honestly.

"Really? Who?" Mrs. Bennett blinked in surprise, wondering if North had been involved.

"You might the first want to the card," Jamie responded, pointing to the silvery blue piece of paper on the edge of the tray.

Mrs. Bennett picked it up and turned it over, then gasped as she read the inscription: "Sorry I couldn't stay to say this in person, but I have to get back before the sun comes up. I hope you have an awesome birthday. I love you and hopefully I'll see you soon! –Jack"

Mrs. Bennett had to press a hand to her mouth to keep from crying. This was the best birthday surprise she could have asked for. Jamie, noticing the moisture in her eyes, asked with concern, "Hey Mom, is something wrong? You look like you're crying."

His mother shook her head. "They're happy tears," she reassured him.

Satisfied with her answer, Jamie and Sophie insisted on feeding the breakfast to her. Then she had to get up and get ready for work—she was working a half day at the hospital, but she didn't mind terribly because Tooth was meeting her for lunch afterwards.

As she came down the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of a fresh bouquet of tulips on the coffee table. "Morning, Missus Bennett!" Bunnymund greeted her cheerfully.

"Oh, Bunnymund, they're gorgeous!" Mrs. Bennett exclaimed.

"Just thought I'd bring you a token in honor of the day," he replied modestly.

"And I'm making breakfast for the little 'uns, so don't trouble yourself about it," Merida called from the kitchen.

Mrs. Bennett shook her head in amazement. "This is the best start to a birthday I've had in longer than I can remember," she said, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Well don't you worry about a thing, because today we're here to take care of everythin'," Merida responded, walking out into the living room, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Thank you again for agreeing to babysit today." Mrs. Bennett gathered her purse from the side table. "I should be back around three."

"Well, even if you need to stay out a little longer, don't worry about it," Merida told her. "I don't have anything else to do today."

"Why would I do that?" Mrs. Bennett asked, looking up in surprise.

"If you just want a little extra time for yourself, feel free to go out and do a little shopping or get your hair done or something," Merida replied breezily, although Mrs. Bennett could tell that there was something that she wasn't saying.

"All right," was all she finally said, deciding not to press the issue. She hugged both of her children and then, waving goodbye to everyone, headed out for work.

The morning passed pleasantly enough. It was a fairly slow day in the E.R, which was a nice change, and Margie surprised her with a small birthday cake. When the time came for her to get off of work, she changed out of her scrubs and into her nicer clothes, and then drove over to the little downtown bookstore. Tooth met her out in the parking lot and they went inside for a light lunch. By now, Tammy, the woman who oversaw the café and also happened to be a true believer, was quite used to seeing the two of them together and even made sure to put up a "Closed for Cleaning" sign whenever they came in to allow them to have some privacy.

"So, how are you and Jack getting along?" Mrs. Bennett asked as she nibbled on a finger sandwich.

"Good," Tooth responded, her eyes sparkling. "I mean, we haven't gone on any official dates yet, but I think—I'm not sure, but I think he's going to ask me out soon."

"I'm so glad," Mrs. Bennett said, smiling. But a small sigh escaped her as she looked around the café.

"What's wrong?" Tooth plied gently.

"It's just…I know it's silly, especially with everyone being so wonderful, but I can't help but wonder why North hasn't done anything yet today."

"He hasn't?" Tooth's eyes went wide.

"No." Mrs. Bennett shook her head. "I thought he'd at least have called or done something to let me know that he'd remembered. I guess he must have forgotten."

"I'm sure he must have a good reason," Tooth reassured her. "Trust me, I know North. He almost never forgets a special occasion. Well, there was that one time he almost didn't deliver the gifts on Christmas Eve, but that was because he'd gotten hit on the head by a falling toy one of the elves had dropped and was suffering from amnesia. The rest of us Guardians were afraid we were going to have to try to do the job for him if he hadn't gotten his memory back just in the nick of time. Can you imagine what a mess that would have been?"

Mrs. Bennett laughed at the story. "Well, I hope you're right," she says, trying to sound cheery. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment in the pit of her stomach.

"Tell you what—let's go for a walk in the park," Tooth suggested. "We'll have some girl time, and maybe it will take your mind off of things."

"Yeah, maybe," Mrs. Bennett agreed, trying to seem more enthusiastic than she felt. Tooth was just trying to be helpful. And who knew? Maybe it would help to get her mind onto something else.

It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon outside as they exited the coffee shop. Feeling the warmth of sunshine gently caressing her, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but be glad that she'd agreed to the trip. Tooth seemed quite eager to get to the park. "Probably because of she's part bird and she likes to be out in nature," Mrs. Bennett thought with a slight smile. However, once they got there, instead of taking one of the well-traversed trails, Tooth suggested a side path, promising that the view was well worth the extra walking. It was a beautiful trail, as it turned out, with lots of flowers blooming in the brush and birds singing in the trees, and Mrs. Bennett was glad that they'd taken it after all. She was just getting ready to tell Tooth so when suddenly the fairy's feathers fluffed out and she pulled up suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Bennett asked, concerned by this behavior. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Tooth replied with a slightly guilty look on her face. "It's just that I sensed one of the kids on the playground losing a tooth, and it's their first one to come out—"

"I get it," Mrs. Bennett laughed. "You got take care of that tooth. I'll just keep walking, and you come back when you're finished."

"Thank you!" Tooth gave her a grateful smile and then took off. Mrs. Bennett chuckled quietly, thinking how most women her age would have their walks with friends interrupted by calls from husbands or babysitters. Not her, though. Her friends had to go collect teeth, or go help some child who couldn't fall asleep halfway across the world, or sort out some mess caused by troublesome elves. She sighed at this last thought. Maybe that's what was keeping North. It wasn't like him to forget something like this. Then again, he had been somewhat distant over the past week. She hope that it wasn't anything too serious—

"Surprise!"

Mrs. Bennett started at the sudden sound of a voice, and then gasped as she turned to see who it was. "Oh my goodness!" She pressed her hands to her mouth as she realized what was happening. Right beside her was a natural clearing in the woods, but the clearing had been decorated with paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes, and sprigs of flowers had been placed in the trees to add to the festive mood. On the far side of the clearing was parked a sleigh, and who should be in it but North.

"Happy birthday!" he cried as he leaped out and hurried across the tiny meadow to meet her.

"Did you do all of this—for me?" Mrs. Bennett gasped, still trying to take it all in.

"Well, I had a little help," North admitted good naturedly. "But yes, all of it is for you."

"I thought you'd forgotten," Mrs. Bennett told him.

"Forgotten?" He looked slightly taken aback. "Are you joking? I had to stay away from you all week because I was afraid that I would spoil the surprise!"

"It's true. He's horrible at keeping secrets." Mrs. Bennett turned to find Tooth fluttering in.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" she asked, a little accusatorily. "And you let me think he'd forgotten!"

"Well I didn't want to ruin it," Tooth replied.

"You could have at least given me a little warning." Mrs. Bennett crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to be cross. "And going to get the tooth? Was that a cover up too?"

"Nope." Tooth held up the tiny white object. "That just providentially happened at just the right moment."

"Wait, wait, wait." North put up his hands to halt the conversation. "I have not heard yet—do you like the surprise or not?"

"Like it?" Mrs. Bennett have him an incredulous look, and then let it give way to a grin. "I love it! Thank you so much." She gave him an impromptu hug, which he gladly accepted.

"Well good, because it is not over yet."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Bennett looked up at him with curiosity.

"Do you remember telling me about wanting to go see a work of Shakespeare performed in the Globe Theater?" he asked.

"Of course. That's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember," Mrs. Bennett replied.

"Well I just happen to have two tickets to today's showing of Macbeth."

"Oh North, you didn't!" Mrs. Bennett gasped.

"I did. And afterwards we are going to Paris for dinner—I have a friend who works in a wonderful restaurant there who has gotten us reservations."

"I don't know what to say!" Mrs. Bennett was moved that he'd gone to so much trouble for her.

"Don't say anything," North told her. "Just say 'yes'."

"All right then, yes!" Mrs. Bennett gave a happy laugh as he helped her up into the sleigh. "Oh, but the children—"

"Are being taken care of," Tooth answered her question before she could even begin it. "Don't worry, Bunny and Merida know about all of this, so they're prepared for it. And Sandy and I will be ready if they need us to step in. So you two just go and enjoy yourselves. Oh, and take this." She winked as she handed Mrs. Bennett a medium sized gift bag. "It's a little something from me and Rapunzel. We figured you could use it tonight when you go out to dinner."

Mrs. Bennett peeked inside it and saw a filmy maroon fabric overlaying satin of the same color. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully, and Tooth nodded cheerfully in response.

"Are you ready to go?" North asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she responded, her stomach filled with butterflies of anticipation.

"All right then, here we go!" He called to the reindeer and with a leap and a bound they were on their way.

The one time Mrs. Bennett had gone through on of North's portals she'd ended up getting terribly nauseous, so as much as they could they tried to just take straight paths from one place to another. The long rides could sometimes be a bit boring, but this time North had a special surprise for her—Hiccup had, over the weekend, installed a small radio and compact disk player with a docking station which allowed them to, for the first time ever, listen to music while in flight. They spent the ride to England singing along to their favorite Christmas carols, North's deep bass complimenting Mrs. Bennett's melodic tenor.

The play was a triumph, from the first curtain to the dramatic death of the title character. As a true Shakespearean at heart, Mrs. Bennett spent the entire intermission and the flight to Paris following the show alternately praising and criticizing the production: the one actor had given their monologue with wonderful flare; another had taken the wrong tone; Lady Macbeth's dress had been perfect; Lady Macduff's had been from the completely wrong era. North didn't understand half of what she was saying, but her excitement was infectious and as long as she was happy he didn't mind.

Their arrival in Paris was, for that time zone, quite late, but fortunately the city had a thriving nightlife which allowed their dinner in the only semi-crowded restaurant to be intimate while not uncomfortable due to lack of other patrons. The food was excellent, and throughout the meal a live band provided suitable mood music. Mrs. Bennett forgot about Tooth and Rapunzel's gift until the meal was practically over, but North encouraged her to change anyway as they had one final stop to make.

He was very secretive about where they were going, and no matter how much Mrs. Bennett playfully pestered him, he wasn't going to ruin the surprise this time. After an hour's flight, they finally touched down outside of a small, rectangular shaped building which had a sign reading "The Boxcar" on it. Even out in the parking lot, the sound of soft music could be heard.

"North, where are we?" Mrs. Bennett asked with a confused look.

"Well," he replied, turning to her, "I thought the best way to end off an evening like this was with dancing."

"Dancing?" Mrs. Bennett asked with a mixture of panic and amusement. "Oh North, I haven't danced in years—"

"Well neither have I," North told her with a roguish smile. "But I am willing to give it a try. What do you say?"

"Well…All right," she agreed after a moment. "But it's not my fault if I step all over your toes."

"I would consider it an honor to have a lady such as yourself step on my toes," North responded.

Mrs. Bennett giggled as he helped her out of the sleigh and then took his arm as they made their way through the crowded parking lot up to the building. Inside, it was a fairly modest establishment, not huge, but not tiny either. There were autographed pictures of famous singers who had visited everywhere, and the walls were lined with old-fashioned booths where couples and families sat enjoying late dinners or desserts. The dance floor took up most of the little restaurant, and a live country band was playing at the far end.

"Shall we?" North asked, offering her his arm.

Mrs. Bennett nodded, and then said, slightly embarrassed, "I don't really remember most of the steps."

"It is okay," North reassured her, guiding her hands into the proper places. "Just follow my lead." He led her out into the middle of the crowded floor where they would be mostly hidden and thus least likely to draw attention. The band started up a lively tune, and off they went. He was surprisingly light on his feet, and Mrs. Bennett found that she had no problem keeping up with him. They danced through song after song, never even noticing the time passing. It wasn't until the lead singer announced that it was almost time for the band to go on break that they even realized how late it was.

"I guess we'll have to leave after this next song," Mrs. Bennett said regretfully, hating to end such a gorgeous evening. "The kids will need me to tuck them in soon." North nodded, obviously not wanting to end the moment either.

"All right folks," the lead singer said, taking hold of the microphone. "For our last song, we're going to slow it down a little. So grab your special one and hold 'em close for 'Just a Kiss' by Lady Antebellum!"

The lights dimmed and the music began. Whether by design or just natural reflex, North pulled her a tiny bit closer as he led her in a two-step around the floor. Mrs. Bennett sighed with pleasure, leaning her head momentarily against his shoulder.

"North," she murmured, "this has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had. Thank you."

"You are most welcome," he responded quietly, tenderly caressing her hair. Then he dipped her down as the chorus started, making her giggle.

"Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight. Just a touch of the fire burning so bright".

North didn't pull her back up immediately, staring down into her chocolate brown eyes.

"No, I don't want to mess this thing up. I don't want to push too far."

He finally brought her back up, but he didn't let her go.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Bennett laughed, but his expression was serious.

"Just a short in the dark that you just might be the one I've been waiting for my whole life."

He suddenly leaned closer and before she knew it, he was kissing her. She pulled away after a moment, stunned. He seemed a little surprised himself.

"I-I am so sorry," he apologized, turning red. "I should not have—"

Mrs. Bennett didn't let him finish, just pulling him closer and pressing her lips against his. A tiny cheer went up as a few of the couples around them, apparently believers, stopped to watch them. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was enough. The rest of the evening was a blur to Mrs. Bennett. She didn't quite know she got home, or remember seeing Bunnymund and Merida off, or even become aware of tucking the kids in that night. But that kiss—her first real kiss from North—stayed with her late into the night.

0o0

WHOO! First kiss of the shipping! Okay, did anyone see that coming? TBH, I did—but that's because I've been planning this scene from before I even started writing this fanfiction "Just a Kiss" is a song that plays on the radio all the time at my work, and almost from the first time I heard it I knew that I wanted it to be Jenny and North's song. I think it's just so cute, and if you don't know it, please, for your own sake, go on Youtube and listen to it because I think you'll really like it! (P.S. I also have the song "Why Don't We Just Dance", another work song, picked out as Merida and Bunny's song *please don't ask why, it just sort of happened!* just in case you were interested!)

I guess in other news, I don't know if you realized this, but I've started up another fic—it's called "Waking Up Again" and it's a _Big Hero 6_ story. Basically, Tadashi wakes up six months after the fire in the hospital with little memory of what actually happened and seemingly perfectly fine. But when he discovers that he's undergone a lot more changes than he realized, he has to learn to accept his new self in order to finally be reunited with his friends and family. Lots of feely goodness and some adorably TadaHoney moments, so if you get a chance to check it out, please do so—I think you'll really enjoy it.

Anywho, that's all I've got for you guys this week! I hope all of you are having great semesters so far, and I'm sending out birthday cake to all of y'all in honor of Mrs. B's birthday. See you next time, and God bless!

~Bonnie


	9. Chapter 9

Well, I was so afraid that I wouldn't get this update out on time with the site being down since last night but, hallelujah, it's back up and here's the next chapter! :D Sorry it's a little on the short side, but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same. See y'all at the bottom!

0o0

"Jamie, wake up! It's the first day of school," Mrs. Bennett called, knocking on her son's door. "C'mon, up and at 'em!"

"Five more minutes," Jamie mumbled.

"Come on," Mrs. Bennett sighed as she entered the room and pulled the covers off of him. "You don't want to be late for your first day of sixth grade, do you?"

"Yes," Jamie responded, pulling his pillow over his head.

"All right then." Mrs. Bennett started to walk away. "If you don't want to get up, it's not my fault if you miss out on having chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast."

Jamie was out of bed in an instant. "We're having chocolate chip pancakes?" he cried eagerly.

"Only if you get going and start getting ready," Mrs. Bennett told him firmly.

"I will, I will!" Jamie responded, hurrying over to the closet to get his first day clothes.

Satisfied that he wouldn't fall back asleep, Mrs. Bennett headed next door to wake Sophie up. As usual, though, the little girl had already beaten her to it and was sitting up in bed, wide awake.

"Good morning Sophie," Mrs. Bennett greeted her with a smile. "Are you ready to go to daycare?"

"Ye-es!" Sophie replied enthusiastically, holding out her arms to be picked up.

"There's my good girl." Mrs. Bennett smiled as she scooped her youngest child up into her arms. "Now why can't you just give some of your morning energy to your brothers?" she asked, making the little girl giggle. It was true—like her mother, Sophie was a morning person. But all of the males in the family—Daniel, Jamie, Jacob, and now (from what she could tell) Jack—were notorious night owls who had to be pried out of bed when dawn came. As she dressed Sophie for the day in a pink and white striped play dress, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but glance down the hall towards the room that had used to belong to Jacob and that Jack would now be using when he came back to bring winter weather to the Northern Hemisphere. When he'd left four months ago, late October or early November had seemed like an eternity to wait. But thanks to the other Guardians, the summer had just flown by. Jack's letters had been few and far between, as he was constantly busy in one part of the globe or the other, but he wrote as often as he could and Tooth had never failed to promptly deliver each letter.

The rest of the early morning preparations went by without a hitch. Jamie, despite his initial efforts, got onto the school bus on time without forgetting either his backpack or his lunch. Sophie was dropped off at day care without any fuss (she was an eternal ray of sunshine who was hardly ever upset about anything.) And Mrs. Bennett got to school with time to spare. She greeted her fellow teachers as she passed them in the hall on the way to her room (already decorated with help from North and the kiddos.) And she was pleasantly surprised to have early visitors before the start of her first period class.

"Morning, Missus Bennett!" Merida called as she, Hiccup, and Rapunzel came hurrying into the classroom.

"Oh, good morning!" Mrs. Bennett responded with a smile. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"We're in your first period class this year," Rapunzel told her, practically glowing with hidden anticipation.

"So you are!" Mrs. Bennett replied after checking the roster. "Goodness, I saw your names on the list, but my mind never fully made the connection! How were your summers?"

"Great," Hiccup answered. "North was right—Toothless and I had a great time out on the trail. He grew about a foot over the summer, and he's gotten up to flying ten feet on his own!"

"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Bennett said, and then peered over his shoulder towards his backpack. "Is he-?"

"Yeah, he's in there," Hiccup responded, patting the bag. "But when I got back at the end of summer, North helped me put together a backpack that's not only fire and sound proof, but it's also bigger on the inside than the outside so he has plenty of room."

Mrs. Bennett nodded, glad that the dragon hopefully wouldn't be causing any disturbances like the previous year. Then she turned to Rapunzel. "How about you? How was the cruise?"

"It was amazing!" Rapunzel gushed. "I can't even begin to describe it. But it was lots of fun, and I got to see a whole bunch of famous landmarks in Europe—Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge! It was like a dream come true."

"I'm glad you had such a good time," Mrs. Bennett told her. They chatted for a few minutes longer, and then the early bell rang for first period, and they had to take their seats as the other students began to file in.

The morning went smoothly for the most part, with only minimal disruptions from the teens who were still on "vacation mode", as Mrs. Bennett called it. It wasn't until lunch that things started getting interesting. As usual, Mrs. Bennett ate her lunch with the rest of the teachers in the teachers' lounge. She wasn't one to speak up much during the conversations, but enjoyed hearing what everyone else had done over their breaks. About halfway through, though, and office attendant came in with a bouquet that had been left at the front desk for her, and that raised all sorts of questions from her fellow educators.

"Who's it from?" Sylvia Garrett, the composition teacher and one of her closest work friends asked eagerly.

Mrs. Bennett blushed as she read the card, although she already had a pretty good idea of who had sent them. "They're just form the guy I'm seeing," she finally mumbled, never one to want to be at the center of everyone's attention.

"Oh, so the rumors are true," Agnes Pommelling, a history teacher and one of the biggest busybodies in the whole junior high, said with a teasing grin. "I'd heard tale that you were dating again. What's his name?"

"N-North," Mrs. Bennett stammered out, trying to keep her eyes on her salad. "Nicholas St. North, but he just goes by North."

"An interesting name," Peter Jameson, a science teacher, observed from further down the table. "Is he foreign?"

"Cossack," Mrs. Bennett replied without thinking, and then quickly amended, "I mean Russian. He's Russian."

"Ooh, Jenny, why didn't you say anything?" Sylvia squeaked with friendly excitement.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Mrs. Bennett responded evasively.

"Is it true that he's much older than you?" Agnes pressed, making Mrs. Bennett almost choke on a tomato. If only she knew just how much older he truly was!

"Forget how old he is," Sylvia said, coming to Mrs. Bennett's rescue. "Is he cute?"

"Very," Mrs. Bennett answered with a tiny smile, remembering the thrills that went through her whenever he looked at her with his deep blue eyes.

Agnes wasn't one to give up easily, though. "Does he have a history?" she queried pointedly, obviously eager to get the dirt on the relationship. "Anything in his past that we should be…worried about?"

Mrs. Bennett pondered how to answer this, toying for a moment with the idea of revealing that he had once been a bandit king, just to see the expression on Agnes' face. But instead she merely responded, "Oh, he sowed some wild oats in his early years, but now he's a very well respected member of and leader in his community."

"A community of elves, yetis, and bedtime story characters," she mentally added, trying to suppress a grin. Agnes tried to ply her with a few more leading questions, but Mrs. Bennett was done answering, choosing to concentrate on her lunch until the other woman finally had to give up. On her way out of the door at the end of lunch, however, Sylvia lulled her aside in the hallway.

"Jenny, you are happy, right?" she asked, searching her friend's face. "In the relationship, I mean."

"Sylvia, I've never been more happy in my life," Mrs. Bennett reassured her friend.

"Oh good." Sylvia sighed, looking relieved. "Well then, all I have to say is don't let Agnes get to you. You know that she's only trying to get under your skin."

"Trust me, I know better than to let Agnes worry me," Mrs. Bennett replied firmly. "We've been around the bush too many times with her not to have learned not to take what she says to heart."

"Yeah." Sylvia smiled at her. "Well, I've got to get to class before the students turn it into a free-for-all. But bring North by for dinner some night. I'm sure Greg and the kids would love to meet him, and I'd like to get a chance to see the guy that one of my best friends is dating. You know, so I can give you an outsider's opinion."

"Okay," Mrs. Bennett laughed. They hugged briefly, and then headed off towards their respective classrooms. Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but grin as she looked down at the vase of flowers in her hands. She'd just survived one of the biggest obstacles in having her relationship with North exposed to public scrutiny. After standing up to Agnes, she felt like there wasn't anything that her students could do that afternoon that she couldn't handle. It was a very empowering way to begin the school semester, and, if anything, it only served to further cement her belief that, despite what others might say, she and North were just meant to be.

0o0

Well, I hope you guys had fun with that chapter! :D I think it's good to step back from the romance every once in a while and get a look at what's going on in the rest of Mrs. Bennett's world. It sounds like the threesome all had awesome breaks, and it'll be fun having them first thing in the morning (what a great way to start off the day!) Plus I hope y'all enjoyed that little bit of teacher's lounge drama—surprisingly enough, teachers have as much a pecking order as students do. We think that they're on top of the chain of command when we're in school, but they're really not. There are nice people and jerks wherever you go—the important thing is learning how to handle them. It never hurts to have a good friend like Sylvia by your side to help you get through things either ;)

Well, have a great week everyone! Chocolate chip cookies to my reviewers, and I'll see you again next time with a really fun chapter: Halloween in Burgess! (And, even better—the chapter following that one? Jack's finally coming back!) On that cheery note, I'll bid you all adieu and good night. God bless y'all, and I'll see you again real soon :D


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Hope y'all had a great week. I know I had my first tests, so if that was any of you guys, congrats on surviving them. This week is the very special Halloween chapter! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it, especially with the little easter eggs I sort of sprinkled throughout ;) See you at the bottom!

0o0

"Jamie, stop squirming!" Mrs. Bennett chastised her son as she tried, unsuccessfully, to get the ten-year-old to sit still so she could point the can of hair color towards his head instead of the million and one other places it has already gotten that afternoon.

"C'mon Mom, hurry," Jamie urged her, trying but failing to remain in one sport. "North's going to be here any minute and he promised us a special surprise for when we go trick or treating!"

Mrs. Bennett sighed and, after one last swipe of the temporary white hair dye, decided that it would have to do. "Okay, on with the sweatshirt," she told him, and he raised his arms so that she could pull the sky blue hoodie over his head. She'd spent the previous weekend painting icy patterns onto the upper half of the pullover that she'd found at the local Salvation Army store to make it look closer to the one that to make it look closer to the one that Jack always wore. Jamie had insisted on going as Jack Frost for Halloween this year and, despite a few challenges in trying to make the costume work, Mrs. Bennett couldn't help but be proud of her work. As for Sophie's costume, she couldn't claim any credit. It was Rapunzel who had stitched together the little silver dress, added the tiny cottontail and furry white ruff, assembled the rabbit-ear headband, and even painted on the accurate dark-grey marking for the Guardian of Hope. Although initially surprised by her choice of costume, Bunnymund had decided to take it as a compliment.

And theirs weren't to be the only Guardian costumes in the neighborhood. From conversations with other parents, Mrs. Bennett had learned that the neighborhood was going to be swarming with mini Santa Clauses, Easter Bunnies, Tooth Fairies, and Sand Mans. By some unspoken agreement, Jamie was the only one to hold the venerated position of being Jack Frost. That's why he had been so insistent on his costume being absolutely perfect, and with so much pressure on her to create a perfect replica, she hadn't complained when Rapunzel had offered to make Sophie's costume. She'd also taken it upon herself to make Mrs. Bennett a sort of "Snow Queen" dress to match Jamie, and she hadn't had the heart to turn her down. That was why she found herself a few minutes later standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room wearing an ice blue, form fitting dress with a sequined bodice and a long, snowflake covered train. She sighed as she swept her hair up into a French braid that went over her shoulder, wondering if it was appropriate for her to be dressed in an evening gown to go trick or treating with her children. The ringing of the doorbell, signaling the arrival of visitors, told her that she didn't have time to change into something less showy, so she decided to just let it go and descended the stairs as gracefully as she could in the matching heels which Rapunzel had crafted for her (fortunately with comfort and walking ability in mind, she realized with relief.)

The first visitors to arrive where Hiccup and Rapunzel, who had offered along with Merida and Bunnymund, to stay at the house and hand out candy (being too old to trick-or-treat, but the teens still looking for an excuse to dress up for the holiday.) The foursome had agreed to go as characters from "Lord of the Rings". Hiccup came dressed as Frodo and Rapunzel as Galadriel. A few minutes later Merida arrived costumed as Samwise Gamgee, followed somewhat reluctantly by Bunnymund as Gandalph. Mrs. Bennett had to quickly hide a grin when she saw him—with the grumpy scowl on his face and the long beard that Rapunzel had meticulously attached earlier that afternoon, he really did resemble the grey wizard.

North arrived not too long after them decked out in his Santa Claus regalia. Tonight he would fit right in amongst all the other costumed folks, so even older believers who could see him wouldn't be suspicious. He stopped short upon seeing Mrs. Bennett, the look in his eyes telling her that he certainly approved of the dress as he tried to form a coherent compliment.

"Are Sandy and Tooth going to be coming with us?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation casual as Sophie and Jamie proudly showed off their costumes to their older friends and Rapunzel made last minute adjustments to them.

"Sadly no," North replied, looking a little sheepish over his previous loss of articulation. "Sandy is going to be keeping a watch out for any not-so-friendly activity any of the other spirits might try to cause tonight, and then he'll be working all night making sure that every child has good dreams—it is one of the scariest nights of the year, after all," he explained. "And Tooth, well…"

"Yes?" Mrs. Bennett pressed, wanting to make sure that nothing was wrong with her feathery friend.

"She's learned that it's best to stay inside her palace tonight," North replied, lowering his voice. "Otherwise when she sees all of the candy, she has a panic attack thinking of all the cavities that it might cause."

Mrs. Bennett nodded, remembering a couple of occasions when Tooth had given Jamie and Sophie "suggestions" on how to have better dental hygiene. She was serious about her job and, thanks to her, the Bennett kids probably had the healthiest teeth in the city.

"So where's the surprise?" Jamie asked eagerly.

"Be patient," North told him with a jolly laugh. "He should be here shortly, but you can't rush him."

"'He'?" Mrs. Bennett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A friend of mine," North replied. "You could say that he has a major part in the holiday and I persuaded him to come visit Burgess for a little bit of the evening." He wouldn't give any more details than that, so Mrs. Bennett just had to trust that he knew what he was doing as they headed out into the streets for some trick or treating.

Jamie and Sophie had gone through almost two blocks and received compliments on their costumes at almost every house before North gently touched Mrs. Bennett's arm and whispered, "Look, here he comes!"

"Who?" Mrs. Bennett asked, having almost forgotten about their surprise visitor. As she turned to follow North's gaze, at first she didn't see anything but a dark street. But then, out of the shadows, a man suddenly appeared. He was short and round, with a small head attached almost immediately on top of his torso. He was almost completely orange from head to toe, except for some rather leafy hair on the top of his head which was bright green, and he had a smile as big a jack-o-lantern's on his face. It took Mrs. Bennett almost a full minute to realize that he wasn't wearing a costume-that the lower half of his body was indeed made up of a pumpkin except for the stubby arms and legs which stuck out from it.

"Who-" Mrs. Bennett began to ask, but North was moving forward to greet their guest.

"Pumpkin! So good to see you!" he boomed cheerfully, giving the oddly shaped man a firm and friendly pat on the back.

"Hey North, buddy, how ya doin'?" the squat gentleman replied, his smile never failing.

"It is well with me," North replied. "And you?"

"Well, you know how it is," the pumpkin man replied with a grin. "It's Halloween, so things are a little crazy, but not too bad. Sorry that I'm a little late-I had to shake this one guy who was on my tail back in Pittsburgh. He's been obsessed with finding proof of me for as long as I can remember. It was cute when he was a kid, but now it's just borderin' on creepy. But hey, what you gonna do? You meet more than your share of crazies in this job, right?"

North nodded sympathetically, and then turned him to face the Bennett family. "Everyone, I would like you to meet my good friend and the spirit of Halloween, the Great Pumpkin."

Mrs. Bennett felt her jaw drop open as North said the name. Jamie seemed more than delighted by the announcement, though, and rushed forward to meet him.

"Hey, how ya doin' sport?" the pumpkin said cheerfully, giving him finger guns. "Now wait, let me guess, you're dressed up as-hold on, gimme a minute, I'm very good at this." He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating, and then snapped them back open as he proudly said, "Jack Frost!"

"Uh huh," Jamie agreed with an awe-struck nod.

"I'm never wrong," the pumpkin said proudly, patting Sophie on the top of the head. "And you, sweet cheeks, I'd recognize those floppy ears anywhere. You're the Easter Bunny, am I right? 'Course I'm right!" Then he turned to Mrs. Bennett and was bowled over-literally.

"All I can say is that you," he said once he got back to his feet, kissing her hand Gomez-style, "are a vision of loveliness."

"Oh, t-thank you." Mrs. Bennett blushed, discreetly making sure that the slit which Rapunzel had put into the skirt was well hidden behind the cape.

"This is my Jenny," North responded proudly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "the most beautiful woman I have ever met."

"I won't argue that one," the pumpkin told him before turning back to Mrs. Bennett. "You know you've been causing quite a stir in the mythical world lately."

"I have?" Mrs. Bennett asked, surprised.

"Sure," the pumpkin returned. "The fact that someone's actually the captured the heart of old sleigh man here?" He jerked a thumb back towards North. "That's pretty big news, believe you me. Everyone's goin' crazy trying to speculate what sort of woman you must be. And let me say, the rumors don't lie." He waggled his eyebrows meaningfully before returning his attention to the kids. "Now, usually I don't give out presents to kids who aren't waiting for me in pumpkin patches, but for you two I'll make an exception!" He produced two little golden sacks out of thin air and presented one to each of them.

"Gee, thanks," Jamie said, eagerly opening it. He looked a little surprised as he pulled out something small, white, and oblong-shaped. "It's...a seed?" he finally guessed.

"Right you are," the pumpkin agreed. "Those are special seeds from my own personal pumpkin patch. Next year plant them right before Halloween, and I guarantee you'll get the best jack-o-lantern in the whole neighborhood."

"Wow, cool!" Jamie looked much more enthusiastic now that he knew what it was.

"Sophie, what do you say?" Mrs. Bennett gently plied her daughter.

"Dank you!" Sophie responded, giving the man a tooth grin.

"Not a problem kiddo," the Great Pumpkin said, looking pleased. Then he addressed all of them. "Well, I hate to run, but I've got a lot more stops to make tonight."

"But of course," North said with a nod. "We would never wish to detain you longer than you could stay. Have a very merry rest of your Halloween, old friend!"

"The same to you folks," the pumpkin replied. He tipped an imaginary hat and then, in a burst of golden sparkles, he took off into the sky. They all watched until he was just a tiny speck in the sky.

"Well, he was...interesting," Mrs. Bennett said once he was gone, trying to think of a polite way to express her opinion of him.

"He is a little on the different side, but he means well," North reassured her.

"I think he was awesome!" Jamie piped up. He turned an accusatory glance to his mother. "And you said that the Great Pumpkin wasn't real! I told you he was!"

North raise a questioning eyebrow. "Why did you think that he wasn't real?" he asked.

"Because as far as I knew, he was just the delusion of a cartoon character in a holiday special," Mrs. Bennett answered, flushing with embarrassment as they started off down the street again.

"I think we need to have a discussion soon about what all mythical figures are real," North told her.

"Agreed." Mrs. Bennett nodded, and then gave him a gentle swat on the arm. "Speaking of-what did he mean exactly by saying that I've been 'causing a stir' in the mythical realms?"

"Oh, that." Now it was North's turn to blush. "Is nothing. So many of them have jobs that are only once a year, and they will gossip about anything to fill the time."

"So is this a big deal-us dating?" Mrs. Bennett asked, crossing her arms as much against the cold against the imaginary judgement that she felt surging towards her.

"Well, not necessarily," North replied carefully as Jamie and Sophie ran up to the next house. "It is only as big a deal as you want it to be."

Mrs. Bennett shook her head, staring off into the distance at a group of trick-or-treaters to avoid meeting his gaze. "I don't know, North. I mean, I hadn't really thought about all of this from their standpoint before. I mean, you're Santa Claus-one of the most famous figures on the planet. How am I supposed to measure up to that?"

"Jennifer." he took hold of her shoulders, not roughly, but firmly enough to keep her from pulling away. "I love you, and that is never going to change. Forget what everyone else thinks. The important thing is that you are more than enough for me-and if anyone should be feeling inadequate, it's me, because I still cannot understand how someone as wonderful as you would fall in love with someone like me."

Mrs. Bennett felt the corners of her mouth twitching up in spite of themselves. "Do you always know just the right thing to say?" she finally asked, giving him a playful grin.

"Well, not always," he responded. "But sometimes the best things are said without words. "He leaned down and kissed her just as Jamie and Sophie were coming down the walk.

"Ew, gross," Jamie cried, pretending to wretch as Sophie giggled. "Guys, not in public!"

"Speaking of not caring about what anyone thinks," Mrs. Bennett laughed as she and North pulled away, "care to go for another round?"

"With pleasure," North replied, and leaned in to kiss her again.

0o0

Okay, I'm sorry, maybe it's just me, but I'm just super in love with everything that just went down! Jamie dressed as Jack. Sophie being an adorable little Easter Bunny. Mrs. Bennett going all Elsa with it (anyone notice the "let it go" comment? :D) The foursome being nerdy little cosplayers! And then the STINKIN' GREAT PUMPKIN! Oh my goodness, that guy just came out of nowhere. Seriously, he wrote his own lines and everything. It was craziness, but it was awesomeness at the same time!  
>Okay, sorry, enough of me geeking out :D Hopefully everyone had a lot of fun with that. I look forward to seeing you next week when (Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!) JACK COMES HOME! I'll leave you on that cheery note ;) Handing out your pick of Halloween candy to all of my reviewers this week (don't forget to say "Trick or Treat"!) Oh, and a Happy Valentines Day 3<p> 


	11. Sick Day

Hey everyone! My sincerest apologies, but I will not be updating stories this weekend. I had a sort of physical/emotional breakdown due to school and work stress, so I'm not going to be able to type the new chapters up. Hopefully I'll get a chance to update later this week, but please bear with me. Thank you so much for understanding!

~Bonnie


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